Humans Being
by Tevlek
Summary: Set after Dark of the Moon. The Autobots find alternate forms to view their new home and it looks like the Decepticons aren't keen on being the last ones to get the upgrade but at the same time they seem to be planning something more sinister as well.
1. That's What Makes Us

Author's Note: **PLEASE READ THIS!**

**Please keep in mind that this is a fan fiction story made by a fan girl with too much time on her hands. There will be Original Characters and there will be situations where beloved characters will not seem to sound like themselves. I am not the creator and so I cannot perfectly execute their behavior. Please keep that in mind as you read and enjoy the story.**

**Also, there is a mini prologue to this story as well called **_Memorial_ **in my story list. If you want, please check it out, if not, that's okay since you don't ABSOLUTELY have to read it to understand this story. It just helps a tiny bit. The lines you see throughout the chapters are switches in point of view, you will have to find out whose POV you are reading for yourself. It keeps the mind active. xD**

**I do not own any of the characters in this story until we reach my OC's. Everything here belongs to the Transformers Universe, but mainly the movies.  
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**Please enjoy and review!**

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><p>"It's taken a lot of work but with your help, we really pulled this off, didn't we?" Dr. Phillip Pullman looked particularly proud of himself as he moved around the metal table where the body was laid out, Ratchet towering over him with his arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed the form. The ever-pensive expression on Ratchet's metallic face was a little more wary than usual, which Pullman might have noticed if he looked at the robot hard enough. Or even at all.<p>

A handful of other scientists looked at the head of their department and all of them seemed just as impressed as he was but the Autobot was still remaining rather silent in comparison. One of them turned and noticed how quiet Ratchet had been, asking about his silence. He lowered his arms and indicated the table with his hand in a brief gesture. "Yes, this is all well and good but I'm more concerned as to what Optimus will think."

"You haven't told him?" Pullman asked, finally pulling his gaze from the body.

"Oh, he is aware of it." Ratchet replied and shook his head, "But we have never had a problem with our current state of being before. So far we have managed to blend into the other transportation vehicles of earth without a problem." He pointed out, resting a fist against his hip. "The project was intriguing but I don't think Optimus will like this idea."

The scientists exchanged wary looks left and right but Dr. Pullman waved a hand and looked back at the table. "This is an entirely optional process, Ratchet." He explained, "We created these in order for the Autobots to blend into humanity without being limited to machinery as your means of getting around. We have many places in the world I'm sure you want to discover and be able to enter and see for yourselves, correct?"

"That is true, but this project cannot go on unless I get the approval from Optimus. You may have had the approval of your government for this, but I only answer to him." With that, Ratchet turned away and left the room through the large doors that had been designed for the Autobots in the NEST hanger. The humans left behind began to make preparations to store the body they had been swarming until they had further information about the Autobot leader's decision. Some of them already felt that the project was probably a waste of government funds. Dr. Pullman was especially worried about the outcome, should Optimus Prime turn down the experiment. He wasted a year on this project. He had to get the Autobots to at least try them out! No matter what, he would try to convince him to consider the benefits this would provide if they accepted.

Dr. Pullman proposed the idea to the board and the human members of NEST a year ago after the threat of Megatron had been ended at Prime's hand. The Decepticons transported by Sentinel Prime that were not taken back to Cybertron when it disappeared from their galaxy, have gone into hiding much as they did after the first battle on earth in Mission City. Things have quieted down ever since the fight and the Autobots still help the humans with their own affairs overseas but still refuse to intervene too much in their political affairs. Humans can only rely on them so much and these days and they have become rather inactive as a result. This was what Pullman thought would happen in between the Decepticon threats and so he proposed that they would create temporary human shells for the Autobots to use as a means of exploration of their new planet so that they would not be stuck at the warehouse at all times.

The board took their sweet time negotiating and Pullman had to talk to them several more times to explain his plan on how to give the Autobots human forms for day-to-day purposes. Eventually, the project was a go and Pullman got to work immediately, drafting a team of some of the best minds he could find along with other sources and Ratchet, who understood the structure of the alien bodies more than any of them. He provided the way to transport them into the vessels and Pullman just had to provide the bodies themselves. It wasn't until they were finished that Ratchet seemed to grow uncertain of the experiment.

If Pullman thought about it he would probably understand what made Ratchet so wary of asking Optimus to give them the go-ahead on using the bodies their human allies provided them now that they were complete. But humans wouldn't understand it; they wouldn't understand it at all. They never had someone suggesting they try to give up the form they were created with and try to blend in with the people they thought accepted them for whom they were already. Only the Autobots understood this and they knew the risk involved. They, as humans who never lost their planet, wouldn't know what Cybertonians had to go through.

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><p>"Optimus, a word?" The leader of the Autobots turned slightly towards the sound of Ratchet's voice, glancing down at Sam but the youth raised a hand to show that he was alright with ending their discussion. He turned and approached Bumblebee at the entrance where the young Camaro was waiting for him and rumbling a throaty greeting with his synthetic engine. Optimus rose from where he once knelt and turned to face his comrade. "How is the boy?"<p>

"He has told me that he is repairing his friendship with Mikaela Banes."

"Ah, yes, she was a very skilled mechanic that one. Much better suited to our dealings, don't you agree?"

Optimus chuckled, knowing to what Ratchet was referring to. It seemed that he was one of the many still trying to comprehend the presence of the new woman in Sam's life after seeing Sam and Mikaela together for most of their time on earth. Whomever Sam chose to have relations with was his own choice he had to make. As was it Mikaela's to push him away those few years ago. Still, he felt he needed to put in a good word on Sam's new mate's behalf. "Carly is a brave woman in her own way, Ratchet."

"Yes, yes." Ratchet waved off the subject, "In any case, Optimus, there is something I need to speak to you about."

The leader's face turned stoic as he readied himself for whatever it was Ratchet was about to convey. First it was about Sam and now he was changing the subject entirely? "What is it?"

"The humans have finished the alternate vessels I spoke to you about before." The medical officer explained, crossing his arms with a clunk of metal as they collided with his chest. "Dr. Pullman is very eager to be given permission to commence his 'dream project'. I told him I would not consent in testing it without your approval."

Optimus reached up and touched his forehead with a thunk while he processed the information and recalled the project to which he was speaking of. The proposal for a human body to be used that would allow him and the other Autobots to roam earth in a less ostentatious form. The idea was initially for them to blend into human society much easier and allow them to enter buildings while actually being able to fit through doorways. The scientists elaborated on the details, Ratchet created a way to transfer their data into a positronic brain and they would be able to control the body the brain was encased in as they would with their normal functions.

The bodies themselves were a combination of artificial limbs that were interconnected with the techniques of prop masters around the world to give the humans as real of a body as possible. Ratchet's assistance with the project would prove beneficiary since he helped design much of the system but Optimus did not focus on the project much since he never considered the idea of a human body before and did not feel entirely inclined to try it either. It was denying his heritage by trying this, wasn't it?

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><p>"What are you two talking about?"<p>

Optimus and Ratchet turned at the voice of Sideswipe as he rolled his way over, "Something wrong?"

"No, the humans want us to test their alternate bodies they prepared for us but we need Optimus' approval before we do so." Ratchet explained, nodding toward Optimus.

"They're done?" Sideswipe sounded almost enthusiastic when he spoke and turned to look back in the direction of the room Ratchet had just come out of.

"Easy now," Optimus warned, holding up a hand. "I will take a look at them. If we are certain they will work, then those who wish to use them have my permission. But I want a thorough test to be completed first." He pointed at the doors as he spoke and turned to go investigate the progress. Ratchet glanced back at the others as they watched their leader leave the room, each Autobot revealing evidence of mixed emotions on the project. Exchanging a few curious glances, they dropped what they were doing and followed after Prime. Sideswipe led the group with Ratchet following behind them shaking his head at their curiosity but in truth, he was just as interested to see their reactions as they were to see the results.

By the time Ratchet pushed his way into the room through his comrades, he spotted Optimus observing the chambers supporting the bodies that had been custom-made just for them. Dr. Pullman was already explaining the process to the Autobot leader even though Ratchet knew that Optimus hardly needed the walkthrough. The scientist was practically giddy with the re-telling of his means of creating the forms and it was hardly professional behavior in Ratchet's good opinion. He approached the two and stood beside his friend; listening in on the lecture but with unfocused sensors. Optimus was much more patient than he was whenever it came to tolerating the humans, while Ratchet would protect them under his leader's orders, he would sometimes question why they even stayed on the planet to begin with and especially when the humans grew doubtful of their allegiance.

"Optimus, all we need is someone willing to test them. If it works, you and the others can consider it a vacation where you can go out and enjoy yourselves." Dr. Pullman explained, resting a hand upon the exterior of one of the chambers. "Even with all of the knowledge you gained through the internet, you can have a full experience of everything without worrying about frightening others that don't understand you quite yet as we do. It also gives you the opportunity to meet other humans without the government breathing down your necks…well, at least as long as you guys can keep a secret."

Ratchet snickered, highly doubtful that the NEST team completely understood them as much as the doctor claimed to. This human was terribly misinformed if that's what he thought. They were exiled from their home, a home of which they had caught a glimpse of but because of it becoming lost to them, they had to let it drift back into its own galaxy. No human would know what it was like to lose their planet, to know that they were the last of a once powerful race that had any decency left in them. But he didn't want them to know that feeling either. Most importantly, Optimus didn't either.

"Very well," Optimus said, though there was a sense of hesitation deep inside of his vocal processor. The Autobots crowded further inside of the room at that moment. Ratchet rolled his optics at them while they grew hopeful. Like Bumblebee, so many of their members were younger models and eager to try new things compared to Optimus and Ratchet. It was hard without Ironhide to back the old timers up anymore, he was greatly missed and all of the Autobots found plenty of time to grieve his loss once the battle was over in Chicago. His loss was devastating as well as the deaths of Mudflap and Skids, who were killed in the struggle against Sentinel Prime when he betrayed them. "If it works, we will try them."

"Oh yeah!" Sideswipe slapped Dino on the back in a loud clang that echoed off of the walls of the laboratory while Dino chuckled at the enthusiasm.

"Excellent." Dr. Pullman grinned up at the machines, turning to the chambers then back to the robots while his fellow scientists entered the room in a cluster of all smiles while they crowded around the feet of Ratchet and Optimus.

"Now, all we need is someone to volunteer a test run and we'll be set to begin!" Pullman said excitedly, hardly sounding professional since he was ecstatic that he had the chance to experiment with his results at last. But there was a lack of an answer for a few milliseconds before Ratchet came forward, drawing Optimus' attention back to his friend. He knew that if he didn't come forward, Prime would have and he was the one Autobot he would not risk putting in danger if there was the potential for one on this project. Besides, he helped design the things, it wasn't foreign knowledge to him and he hardly felt there was any real risk involved…but he had to be cautious just in case.

"It is only a simple connection to the brain, Optimus." Ratchet explained, clapping his leader upon the shoulder loudly, "Hardly anything lethal compared to everything this planet has already put us through."

"Ratchet—"

"Don't argue with me, I know more about this system than any other Autobot on the base." He said gruffly, "Now, would you prefer I let one of them do this instead?" Due to the silence that met his sensors, he smiled slightly at his leader. "I didn't think so."

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><p><strong>You like? Please review and let me know so we can keep this going!<strong>


	2. Under My Skin

Author's Note:

**Please keep in mind that the lines signify jumps in the story because I'm lame and can't write a single scene playing into the next one very well. Today we're going to see the Autobots checking out those bodies mentioned. I hope people like this chapter and always remember, I am a fan. I am not the creator and so that means that means that the characters in this story will sometimes act out of character. Remember that as you read and we should get along just fine through this fan fiction. I WILL be reminding you again in the future just in case.**

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><p>The second thoughts Ratchet may have had previously were rekindled as he looked at the berth the scientists had prepared for him. It was a structure similar to an operating table in structure but built to withstand the weight of the machines that were meant to lie across them. With a powerful hydraulics system at its base, they could tilt it forward so that the Autobot in question could lean against it and then they could tilt him back into a lying position. It was easier for them to move this way rather than trying to have them lie down and sit up. It was also more time consuming as he stepped up to it and leaned against it, waiting for gravity to carry him backwards.<p>

Optimus was accompanied by the Wreckers as he entered the lab and stood close-by, observing the scientists moving about and preparing the transfer. Dr. Pullman, as usual, was the one running about the most. Ratchet sighed while another scientist, Hoth he recalled, triggered the hydraulics to begin lowering the berth to make Ratchet parallel to the floor. He watched them continue to move about while he drifted backwards, optics landing on the human body lying upon the table positioned beside the berth. It was such a small vessel in comparison, he wondered if he would be able to adjust to the change in perception that he knew would be coming.

"Ratchet, if you have changed your mind," Optimus began, approaching the side of the berth but Ratchet shook his head.

"The worst that could happen is an electric shock and as I recall, Optimus, that wasn't such a bad experience." He mused with a smirk before settling his head back. "My only concern is if that brain will handle all the data in the transfer. I haven't exactly attempted this before after all. If we had Wheelie around, I would have tested this with him first."

"It is a good thing that he is not here to hear that, old friend." Prime said, though there was a tone to his voice that Ratchet picked up on immediately. Ever since the two smaller Autobot converts crashed the Decepticon ship into the river, the Autobots hadn't received any communications from them and the Whitwicky boy hadn't heard anything either even though they lived with him before the attack. Ratchet knew Optimus counted every loss and always carried them on his shoulders along with everything else he has endured in his multitude of years as their leader. But Ratchet would never want to envision a day when the Prime was gone. The Autobots already suffered his loss before; they would not tolerate a second one.

"Let's get this over with," Ratchet said, peering down at the human form one more time. "Where is the cable?"

Dr. Pullman leaned over the table bearing the form designed to be his alternate body. He uncoiled a long cable and handed the other end to another scientist who carried it over and climbed the metal steps leading up to the berth where he was laying. Ratchet could see that Optimus was watching the process with wary optics and he smirked to himself, reaching over and taking the other end of the cable. With his digits, he felt along the side of his head, transforming his hearing censor into a suitable connection for the cable to link into while the doctor made work of fastening the other end to the positronic brain through the human-based ear canal.

At first Ratchet felt nothing from the connection. The brain on the other end of the line was dead and vacant of any feedback when he shut his optics to try and begin the process. He was the one who had to trigger the transmission of his own memories and functions to the brain since he refused to allow the humans to have control over their bodies with computer systems that were easily hacked into. The only thing the humans could track was their vitals if they could make the bodies work. But making them work was the main problem.

"Ratchet, have you made the connection yet?" Pullman asked. "Vitals are still flat-lined on the body."

"Be patient," he said irritably, "I don't do this every day as you well know."

The Autobots were living organisms and not machines, it was not so easy as the human means of copy and paste files onto another storage source. Besides, Ratchet wasn't even sure how much information these positronic brains could contain. He had millions of years of knowledge on his mind after all. It was impossible to even imagine everything on Prime's in comparison. He sighed and thought about the body, deciding that maybe it was best to attempt to imagine controlling the other form to get things going. He thought about the eyes on the body and while he hardly thought about the opening and closing of his optics, he had to think about the muscles needed to open the eyelids and rotate the eyeballs around to see. Keeping the human eyes in mind, he continued to think about it until a faint beep met his sensors.

The eyes of the human opened from what an excitable human exclaimed before he was shushed and Ratchet continued to think but the more he thought, the less in sync with his own body he felt. His heavy limbs were growing numb to him and he felt almost weightless even though he was used to his usual bodyweight before. He soldiered on; letting his thoughts travel through the cables as the hum of his spark began to sound more like the thudding of a human heart rate in his head. It was working, wasn't it?

When he opened his optics, the process felt stiff and he peered around, everything was blurry and slowly coming into focus while he squinted at the high ceiling. It looked so much farther than before. It didn't take a genius to see why this was though. The reason his optics felt stiff was because he was raising eyelids now and they were not optics but eyes in his head. Oh Primus, it actually worked, didn't it?

Judging by the cheers coming from the scientists, it did.

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><p>"Alright Ratchet, now if you could just wiggle your fingers for me, that's right." Dr. Bloom, one of the few females involved with NEST, requested and wiggled her own fingers to show an example he hardly needed.<p>

Ratchet wasn't used to the fleshy digits he moved around on his hands and his depth perception was thrown off with the female scientist standing before him, jotting down notes now. The movements were not entirely foreign to him but they wanted to be sure all of his bodily functions were operational before he could get up on his feet and move around. The metallic table he sat upon was cold underneath his rather pliable backside and he felt stiff whenever he tried to turn his head due to the rather limited functions of a human-based skeletal and muscle structure. Even if it was false, it was still accurate with the human body.

The peachy skin covering his exterior was pliable compared to his unforgiving armor as an Autobot and he felt vulnerable while he pinched at the epidermis, pulled it up slightly, released, and watched it settle back down flat with a rather perplexed expression. The hair that they had given his head in this form was a silvery gray color that was sprinkled all over his arms and legs along with the top of his head. He didn't want to think of what other strange parts of him there were beneath the clothing the NEST team had dressed his body in. All in all, he just felt much weaker and when he glanced up at himself lying on the berth to his right it was just that much more of a reminder that he wasn't anything like what he was before. Well, he could see how tall he was in comparison to humans now compared to just looking at the numbers and measurements to understand.

"How's it feel, Ratchet?" Leadfoot asked, leaning into the room. Dr. Bloom smiled up at him then turned to Ratchet, seeing that he hadn't spontaneously combusted or anything yet so she turned and moved away to work on the statistics some more and rejoin the other scientists checking out his vitals on the computer monitors.

"Different. It feels different." He smirked at the mechanic, "Tell Optimus I'm still around will you?"

"Sure, sure," the accented bot said, waving a hand and leaving the lab again.

"Well Ratchet," the scientist smiled, stepping up beside the table he had been seated upon. "Everything looks good. You can try to stand now."

The displaced machine chuckled at her and wriggled further to the edge, resting his feet upon the floor. The surface of the floor was smooth and cold against the soles of his feet and he frowned at the discomfort but pressed them firmly against the ground and stood up. "Try nothing, I know I can walk. These bodies aren't any different than what I pedal around every day." He proved a point by stomping his feet up and down a few times; earning some laughs around the laboratory. The man crossed his arms in typical Ratchet fashion, turning around and looking back at his body. "Well, I suppose this means that your project works, Dr. Pullman."

"Yes it does," Pullman confirmed excitedly as he approached Ratchet at almost a jog. "By the end of the day, we should have enough data to convince Optimus that they're ready to be used."

That should go well…

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><p>Leadfoot thudded his way across the warehouse's central area mainly open for the ease of movement for the Autobots to maneuver about in. He approached the leader, scratching at his leg armor before stopping beside him and indicating back over his shoulder at the laboratory doors with a brief gesture of his hand. "Ratchet's, uh, human is awake." He said, clearly lost for a proper name to call it.<p>

"Regardless of form, Ratchet will still be Ratchet." Optimus said, turning about and making his way to the lab, the Wreckers following him even though Leadfoot had just made his way back from there, he was just as curious to see more about these vessels that Dr. Pullman created for them. He personally saw nothing wrong with being an Autobot and assumed humans should just get used to them but Optimus went along with the plan so far and he was their leader. He shrugged his great shoulders and stalked after them while Sidewswipe skated around them to fall in behind Optimus. Out of all of them, he was one of the more excited bots about this project. He was the most active of them after all.

One by one, the Autobots entered the large laboratory and all eyes strayed to Ratchet's unmoving form on the berth. The human standing in gray sweats was hardly noticed at all until he cleared his throat in Ratchet's familiar manner, earning their gaze immediately. Optimus lowered himself upon one knee and leaned forward to look at his severely altered comrade. He was standing on his own two feet just fine and other than being human in shape and size, he looked stable. Optimus blank his optics at him once and straightened up slightly, remaining on his knee.

"How does it feel, Ratchet?" Sideswipe asked, crouching beside Optimus to peer down at him as well.

"It feels the same as it has always felt." He said, looking down at himself then back up to his companions. "Though it certainly is humbling to experience how large we actually are in comparison to humans by seeing it through their eyes like this."

"You certainly have trimmed off quite a few feet, haven't you?" Leadfoot joked, wobbling over while Roadbuster elbowed him with a loud clang to move closer only for the shorter Autobot to kick back at him.

"Wreckers," Optimus' tone was a warning one and they ceased and crowded closer while the always-silent Topspin stood among them, making way for Dino to look in as well. The red Ferrari exchanged looks with the eager Sideswipe and then all eyes were back on Ratchet's human form. He certainly looked different. Many of them assumed that the humans would give them young forms like in the stories written by earth's authors on similar cases but Ratchet resembled an aged human with lines creating a permanently furrowed brow that made the human face look deep in thought and a thin mouth that reminded them of Ratchet's rather serious attitude. The more they observed this body, the more he looked as Ratchet would look were he actually human. It was a convincing change.

"When you're all finished staring at me, I would like to see the results, Dr. Pullman." Ratchet grumbled, turning his back on them. Optimus chuckled quietly, rising back to his feet while the lead scientist came forward and presented a tablet to Ratchet, who took it and ran his finger down the screen to check over the readings they had noted. "Well, so far everything seems to be in order, Optimus." Ratchet said, though he still didn't sound convinced. "The body's core temperature is higher than an average human being's because of the circuitry embedded within this vessel producing a lot of heat but that's nothing regular cooling cannot fix, correct?"

"Yes," Pullman said, accepting the tablet back, "As long as you consume water, you should be able to cool off the inner workings of the mechanics since we couldn't work with your usual life source of energon to create a more familiar system for you to use. Water should be a common enough source of coolant and you do not need it very often. The bodies were built with earth's varying temperatures in mind, though we might have to avoid trips to the poles as a precaution."

"So no volcano diving anytime soon either." Sideswipe joked, Pullman immediately shaking his head. "It was only a joke, doctor, relax."

"Optimus, I will test the vessel over the next twenty four hours to be sure it will remain stable. By the end of the time period, if you see fit, we will move on to making the connections between the rest of the Autobots and their own vessels." Ratchet explained, "That is, if you give the permission."

The leader gave a slow nod, "Proceed, Ratchet. But if you find a fault in this new form, notify Dr. Pullman or myself immediately."

Ratchet scoffed. "Finding a fault isn't the problem, Optimus. It is finding a problem at all. I can give you a list of faults if that would ease your mind but the rest of the Autobots would be severely disappointed."

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><p>As expected by Ratchet, his test trial with the new body proceeded without a hitch and by the end of the twenty four hour period the scientists were eager to begin the other transfers but Dr. Pullman, though eager himself, refused to jump right into the alterations and continued to study Ratchet's reactions to the body. They still needed to find out if the bodies would change over time, or the connection would lose power once the bodies strayed too far from their original forms. All things that were tested out over the next few days, much to Ratchet's disappointment. Of all the Autobots, he was the most uncomfortable being out of his own metal alloyed armor. He was excited about the accomplishments in his own way, the way that didn't show on his facial features but those who knew him long enough could tell he was pleased with himself for helping out the humans on this experiment and making it successful.<p>

With the testing completed, the Autobots were all convinced to try out the bodies their human allies had prepared for them by the end of the week. As eager as some of them were, all of the faces were rather stoic when they approached the laboratory on the day of their transition from bot to man. Sideswipe was the first to want to go but Ratchet insisted that Optimus was the next to go after Ratchet's transfer back into his own body was complete. He had enough of playing lab rat and was more than willing to be an Autobot again to help with the relocating of the bodies of the Transformers after their data transfers were complete.

Optimus approached the berth silently, leaning himself against it while Ratchet remained beside his leader. Prime showed no fear or uncertainty when he was lowered back into a horizontal position and Ratchet admired his continuous courage. He proceeded to attach the cable but paused and peered down at the reclined leader. "Optimus, do you want to see it first before we begin?" He indicated the form on the table. "If it's not to your liking, we can hold this off until you do."

"I have no quandary with human appearance, Ratchet. I will trust their decision on what suited me best." He said, closing his optics.

Ratchet sighed, smiling at Optimus and shaking his head, looking down to Dr. Bloom who nodded and proceeded to fasten the other end of the cable to the body chosen for Optimus. He proceeded to talk Optimus through the process then, recalling what he had done in order to make the transition from his body to the human one and he could gradually see the light seeping through his optic concealers grow dimmer. The monitors connected to the body began to react to the signs of life within the human form and Ratchet placed his hand on the arm of his leader just as the body shut down into stasis, reserving itself for the soul's eventual return. With the Prime's body silent, Ratchet lowered himself over the human body and watched over it until the eyelids slowly opened and nearly startled Ratchet. They were inhumanly blue; the same electric blue as all of the Autobot eyes but these were so much more foreign since Ratchet never saw his own eyes turn so vivid as a human. The eyes blank up at him and a slow smile crept across the man's lips but Ratchet grew concerned. The smile, though present, was a solemn one.

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><p>The uploading of their personality data into the artificial brains took minutes to complete thanks to their superior technology making the whole process speed along when human computers would have taken hours to do so. Sideswipe was not as quiet as Optimus had been and was looming over the body they chose for him, entertaining himself by making the scientists nervous whenever he made a statement that something wasn't to his liking. In the end Ratchet scolded him for being rude and the corvette apologized, claiming the body was good before loading up onto the berth obediently. The process continued throughout the day and eventually, the back of the lab was lined with the stasis bodies of the Autobots while Ratchet observed the humans checking vitals and mobility with his comrades in their new forms. The bodies seemed to blend right in if it weren't for the gray sweat suits they had been dressed in.<p>

Sideswipe seemed disappointed that while he was athletic and lithe like before, he was not as gracefully smooth as he was on his wheels and stumbled over his feet when he first started walking. He needed to be on wheels according to him but Ratchet refused to find him some, considering they were all still trying to get used to the new bodies and hardly needed him damaging his so soon by giving him more mobility. The others were more cautious with their bodies and took their time even though the structure was still very similar to their true forms. They were all on their feet in no time but one was not exactly moving about yet.

Optimus remained on his body's table, looking down at the humane feet and unfamiliar gray clothing that concealed the human exterior from further examination. But he was hardly interested in exploring the form. His feet were all he really focused upon at this moment. Even in this form, however, he could still sense it when Ratchet's optics lingered on him and eventually looked up at the metal giant that he once loomed over only hours ago. He smiled at the irony a moment. The altered Prime wasn't sulking, mind you, just contemplative over this unfamiliar casing that was vastly different from a vehicle in comparison. "I can see why you were so eager to return to your body, Ratchet." Optimus said, his voice sounding different coming from a human throat. It was his voice, yes, but it was altered coming through human vocal chords in comparison to the vocal processor that gave it its electronic undertone.

"Optimus, we can always switch you back if you would rather not—"

"No," he held up a hand, "I will not waste their efforts."

"Very well."

Optimus pushed himself up from his body's previous resting place, placing his feet on the cool concrete floor and walked slowly over to his true body lying motionless on the large metal slab. Reaching out, he pressed his hand against the cold metal of his armor. Still silent, he absently traced one of the flame details lingering from his alternate vehicle mode. Such powerful beings they were in comparison to these temporary forms. He could understand the human's perspective now that he was seeing himself through their eyes. Lowering his hand again, he turned to his medical officer towering over him and raised his head higher to actually meet the bot's optics. "How are the others?"

Ratchet waved his arm over to the monitors and Optimus made his way over to them with Ratchet following at a cautious pace, calculating a safe distance in comparison to the smaller individual. The monitors manned by the scientists displayed each Autobot's human physic and monitored their vital signs as well as core temperature. So far everything was stable, including himself, though Sideswipe's heart was racing and Dr. Holth explained that was just because of how excited he was. Optimus nodded his head, "Have you assembled an alternate human form for Bumblebee as well?"

"Yes, Optimus. His body is still contained until he comes to the base. We might have to see if Sam minds though since Bumblebee is his primary means of transportation right now." Pullman explained, "Whenever the bodies are not in use, we will keep them safe in the pods you've witnessed them in before."

The misplaced Prime nodded his head but continued to linger among the scientists as they explained more of the changes their new forms would go through. So far the bodies were fully functional as long as they were inside of them but if the form was extensively damaged, they would have to transfer back to their true bodies immediately. It sounded dangerous but their bodies were in no less danger than the rest of humanity's were at the time. Any concerns that Optimus mentioned were always put to rest by the scientists who always knew the answers he needed. Eventually, he left them to their work and moved on to find where the rest of the Autobots had wondered off to while he was lost in thought before.

Exiting the lab, the man was halted when he heard his name being addressed.

"Optimus," a familiar voice called out and the man smiled at the sight of Lennox when he jogged over to him. The man stopped short of him and looked him over, shaking his head while looking up at him in utter disbelief. "This is just weird, you've gotta admit."

"Yes, it will require some time to adapt to the difference." Prime confirmed with a small smile of his own.

Lennox held out his hand, "I've never been able to properly greet you before. I think this is several years late but its better late than never, right?" Optimus nodded, taking the offered hand and shaking it before Lennox turned and indicated the others. "The guys are all beside themselves seeing you guys like this. We're all pretty shocked you even went along with it in the first place. After the scientists broke everything down into English for us, we thought it was crazy talk but Pullman said this was kind of like his way of giving you guys a chance to take a vacation."

"That is what I understand they intended."

"Well, whenever you're ready to start yours; let me know. I'll introduce you to Sarah and my daughter sometime." He led Optimus over to the rest of the guys at that moment, overloading the man with comments and questions about how different he looked, what he would do as a human, and if there was anywhere he thought about going to yet. All questions Optimus wasn't sure he wanted to answer since he never really thought about it before. Eventually, he would come to the conclusion that the first thing he wanted to do while human, was to take a walk.

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><p>"Optimus," He turned slightly at the presence of Sideswipe, nodding to the unfamiliar human face but he knew the voice even if it was slightly altered. The human form of Sideswipe was tall and leanly muscled with shaggy dark hair that he seemed to be irritated by due to his constant brushing the unruly strands out of his face. He already dug through the clothing the humans had provided for their use and dressed himself in what he claimed was "stylish" but Optimus had little opinion on human clothing. "You don't like these forms, do you?"<p>

"I am intrigued by the use of these human forms and how they will help us further understand this planet and its people. I do not dislike them. In the years we have been here, I'm afraid we still have much to ascertain and being of a human likeness would benefit us immensely."

"You won't know it until you try it, huh?" Sideswipe observed, looking up to see what his leader had been looking at outside of headquarters. There was little to observe but the partial view of the horizon that had a sliver of the city exposed beyond the high fence surrounding NEST.

"Precisely," Optimus confirmed, folding his arms across his chest. "I will not judge this body so quickly as Ratchet has."

Sideswipe gripped the shoulder of his leader and squeezed a moment, "Go try on some clothes, Optimus. You'll feel a lot better once you get out of those sweats. Trust me."

"Man, I'll be lucky if I turn out like that by the time I'm fifty." Lennox said; shaking his head slowly at the condition of the body Optimus had been given. Dr. Pullman stood beside him looking rather pleased with himself as he looked over at the soldier with a prideful smile that Lennox almost grew irritated upon seeing.

"We tried to create the bodies to represent the Autobots how they would appear if they were human. With their prolonged military experience and how we perceived their agility, we got a pretty good idea of what would suit them in appearance and physic. Optimus has always had a rather aged voice along with Ratchet, so we gave them bodies that are more middle-aged but still physically fit. It would have been disrespectful to make them fat and balding after all. These are supposed to be forms fit for their capabilities."

"Well, good job, doc." Lennox said passively, leaving the man behind to go talk to Optimus, who would be much better company in comparison to the bragger now behind him. "What do you think?"

Pulling on a jacket, the Prime held out his arms and shrugged his shoulders around to shift the article of clothing into place as Lennox observed the clothes he chose for himself. He seemed to like the colors red and blue still, which was understandable since that was his color scheme on his armor. It looked more like the leader of the Autobots standing before him seeing this man dressed in dark jeans, a gray shirt and a blue and red jacket that one of the guys had contributed. With this new outfit on and no more sweats, this man looked much more authorative with his straight posture and neatly trimmed short hair accompanied by a short beard that coated his jaw and framed his mouth without a single hair out of place. Lennox envied that short, boxed beard.

"Looking good, Optimus." He complimented, "Give any thought to where you might want to go first?"

Zipping up the jacket partially, Optimus shook his head. "Not yet."

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><p>"Well you guys are still getting used to it. The Wreckers are already asking to check out the junkyard though. They think they can get some good metals for repairs in the future from there. We couldn't get them in there before because the guys thought they'd eat the metal. Didn't give us enough time to explain that you guys don't eat metal…"<p>

"As long as someone keeps an eye on them, they may explore the city if that is their choice. But only when your superiors say we are permitted to leave."

"We contacted Sam to come and check you guys out and hear the results before he and Pullman head up to do the fun job of negotiating with Mearing into letting you guys get out and put the new bodies to use. You might have to switch back and forth a few times before she's convinced to let you out though." Lennox massaged his temple at the thought of talking to Mearing after her charming first impression of lecturing him on how things were run here at NEST. Sam was probably not going to be too thrilled to find out that he had to act as ambassador of the Autobots and talk to Charlotte Mearing first and foremost.

Optimus chuckled, feeling his throat vibrate from the sound produced. He felt vibrations before, but as a human it seemed to be much more prominent in comparison. It was all still so new to him even with all of the research he made on humans through the internet. As a human counterpart, he couldn't access the internet with this positronic brain the humans provided. This made everything a learning experience from this point on but he was not opposed to the idea. Earth was their home now, it has been officially so for years, and so they had to understand it and respect it.

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><p><strong>Did you find all the lines? I hope so<strong>.

**Please review so I can post the next chapter without thinking no one is reading it. =(**


	3. It Takes Two to Start

**Author's Note:**

Yes, the dreaded Original Characters are going to make their appearance now. Please give them a chance. I know we're supposed to focus on the Transformers most of all but this IS my story. I am a fan girl, not a professional author and I do not own the Transformers in any way. I just own the Original Characters. I hope that people still enjoy the story.

**Remember to look for the lines that separate the POV.**

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><p>"Ma'am, I'm sorry but we do not allow visitors on the property."<p>

"I am not trying to get onto the property, sir. I merely delivering the doughnuts a Mr. Fred Haggler requested to have brought to the gate." The woman said, offering up a box containing several more smaller boxes and what appeared to be stacks of napkins. "I will leave it with you guys to check if you like. I have to get back to my job."

The guards looked at one another before one approached and cautiously took the box from the woman, setting it on the ground and checking the contents while the others kept their eyes on the older woman. She had to be in her forties at this rate and a teenage girl beside her eyed them with clear annoyance while they took her box as well and examined the delivery. Both of them were wearing rather plain clothing with aprons bearing the doughnut company logo on them and wore hats with the same logo. The teenager stepped forward, "What's with the lockdown here? They're just doughnuts my dad asked that we bring them over. There's no bomb in them or anything, jeez!"

"Kayley, please." The older woman sighed, "Let them do their job, okay?"

"They're just doughnuts." The soldier confirmed, picking the box up again and entering the gatehouse to contact inside for Dr. Haggler to come and get the snacks for his colleagues. It was some kind of celebration means he guessed since they have been pretty ecstatic in there since this morning after Sam Whitwicky talked with Mearing about the permission to release the Autobots from base. Another soldier retrieved the other box and added it to the other one in the gatehouse. The two delivery girls were permitted to leave and the soldiers resumed the position, grumbling about the scientists and their inconsideration for national security. They did, however, notice the younger female flipping them the double bird before they reached their vehicle, earning a warning glare from the soldier at the gate.

"At least they didn't pitch a fit like Sam did last year." One of them joked.

"Don't remind me."

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><p>"Can you believe those guys? I mean, what's the big deal, it's just doughnuts?" Kayley ranted as she slammed the door and gripped the truck's steering wheel; glaring out the window at the fenced-in warehouse.<p>

"They're just doing their job. A lot of places have been cracking down on security since that alien invasion last year." Her friend explained calmly. Kayley was amazed that the incident could be talked about so easily these days when utter chaos had once spread around the globe at the presence of those robots. She shuddered at the thought of it and turned to her colleague while the older woman observed their copy of the receipt to ensure everything had been included. This woman was always focused on her job compared to the rest of her younger fellow employees but Kayley knew it was how she was. Since she trained her Anne was always a hard worker who didn't like to have help much like herself. "We should head back to the shop now. I want to get things cleaned up in the back before I have to go to the diner."

"I don't know why you're working two jobs, Anne. I'd go crazy." Kayley shook her head, turning on the truck and shifting gears but both of them became distracted when a red and blue semi truck pulled out of the warehouse they had just made their delivery to and the guards opened up the gates to release it out into the street. "Wow…that's a shiny truck. I want one."

Kayley grinned over at Anne and the woman leaned over slightly to see what she was talking about. "Save your money and you might be able to get one."

Laughing at the idea of saving her money religiously to get her hands on a Peterbuilt of that magnitude was ridiculous. She mused over it when she pulled away from the curb and drove in the opposite direction of the truck that had probably been delivering supplies to be stored in the medical warehouse. Her father was a doctor and claimed a lot of his supplies from the building according to his meager dinner conversations but he spent a lot of time around there for just needing supplies for the hospital. Whatever the reason was, she didn't care. Her and her father didn't get along well enough for it to matter but she did wish the man would take the time to come outside and say "hi" to her at least.

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><p>"Optimus, the other Autobots are going to be running around and exploring the city, heck they may even try to check out things overseas. Are you okay with that?" Sam asked, sitting back against the passenger seat of the semi truck's cab. He and Optimus skipped out on the celebrations back at NEST since Optimus was still rather hesitant on the idea of using a human form and Sam just wanted an excuse to get away from Mearing, who was still lingering behind on base to keep an eye on them.<p>

"What they choose to do is in their own right. We should be grateful your leaders do not feel threatened by our exploration of your planet in a more discreet form." Optimus said, his voice all around Sam inside of the cab.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Sam muttered, rubbing his temples. "Doesn't make it any easier to tell Mearing about though…"

"Sam…"

"It's fine, Optimus. This is what I sighed up for, right? This is it, this is the job that matters. I can be around you guys without special agents jumping down my throat about it. It's all good."

Right now after a year of calming down the panicked countries and convincing them that there would be no more Decepticon world domination, things had quieted down and Sam was given down time as well as the Autobots.

"Your human body is pretty impressive, Optimus. You were looking pretty good for an older model. Kind of weird seeing it inanimate on a table but hey, I don't blame you for wanting to stick to your own skin…so to speak…" Sam smiled, referring to the human forms of the Autobots that a Dr. Pullman and a team of doctors and scientists put together for them so that they could travel around and actually blend in with humans to the point of being able to do anything that a human could do. He already had the immature thought of taking Bumblebee to a theme park or something since he looked like he would enjoy that kind of thing but so far his guardian hadn't been introduced to the alternate form yet. Ratchet was supposed to be hooking him up when the scientists stopped chowing down on doughnuts and coffee.

"I will consider places to visit as well now that we are at liberty to do so. But for the time being, I wish to familiarize myself with the alternate form in a gradual process." Optimus explained, Sam nodding. That sounded like Optimus, taking the cautionary way to make sure that the other Autobots were safe. Sam knew very well that the leader was more than willing to risk his life for the other bots and the humans on planet earth and this reminder made him smile to himself, patting the interior of the truck door.

"You always think things out before you act, Optimus. That's good and everything but you might want to try being a little spontaneous once in a while." He chuckled to himself, "You were pretty reckless when you were in a hurry like when we first met and you destroyed my parents' yard, remember that?"

"Unfortunately…"

Sam laughed, "Hard to face the fact that you lost your cool back then, isn't it?" The mock diesel engine rumbled and the youth laughed again, slapping the door panel again. "I'm just messing with you, Optimus. I know you were antsy about the glasses and the earth was in danger. The world was always in danger whenever I saw you guys. It's kind of nice to just hang out with everyone and not be freaking out over Decepticons and what not for once."

"Yes, it is finally peaceful."

Sam's smile gradually faded from his face as he leaned back against the seat, staring absently out of the windshield while Optimus continued to cruise along the roads. They originally set out to just take a drive and get out of the doughnut party while the Autobots were getting more and more used to their human forms. It wasn't surprising to find Ratchet one of the only ones not to be human after Optimus switched back. But now that there was no real danger, the Autobots could afford to relax and enjoy earth now, right? Well, in Sam's experience, their times of peace never lasted long. Even though a year had passed, time always provided a new threat to them in the end.

"But for how long?" Sam sighed, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

Prime's interior sighed heavily, burdened by the point that Sam made in that one question. He had to know as well that this peace may not last in the end. "That…is unknown."

* * *

><p>Igor spazzed as he wobbled around the barrels containing the hatchlings, slobbering lubricants across the cracked desert ground as he pulled the remains of a Decepticon's spark over to the creatures and tossed it up to them to feed on the remaining energon inside. Whichever one got its jaws clamped on it first would get the goods inside, there were some more he had collected from fallen cons anyway. Since the attack in Chicago, he already knew that his master's spark was extinguished and Starscream's power-hungry days were over thanks to the Witwicky boy blowing up his head. But that didn't solve the problem of his lack of food source for the hatchlings and he was not intelligent enough to figure out a means of locating other Decepticons hiding across the globe. It was hard enough relocating this meager camp site in the desert had Scrapper not found him and took him back.<p>

Scrapper pulled up to the remains of the former Decepticon leader's refuge before their previous battle and observed Igor passively; approaching the hatchlings as they wriggled and grunted in the barrels absorbing the remains of the energon fed to them by the twisted Igor. One gnawed on the faint source and screeched at him as he transformed and strode slowly past them. He sat upon the desert floor, knocking on one of the barrels with a loud metallic clang to shut them up before turning to look at Igor again. He spoke in Cybertonian, ignoring the human languages provided by the world wide web that he could have accessed if he wanted to but Igor would understand him all the same, even if an intelligent answer was rare by now.

Pretendor, another Decepticon that was capable of human-like disguise had located Stryker and claimed he could find a means of returning Megatron to an existence but since then Scrapper has not seen or heard from him. He spoke to Igor about bringing back more of the scrap metal that were once his fellow Decepticons to feed the remaining energon to the hatchlings as Megatron would have desired them to do to keep them alive. Until more forces came with a potential leader to regroup them, the remaining cons had to keep hidden away from the Autobots in order to stay alive and remain stationed on the rock that was planet Earth.

* * *

><p>"This is part of your bucket list?" Kayley asked, eyeing Anne as she pulled on a pair of heels.<p>

"I never said you had to come learn with me." Anne smiled, pulling at her skirt since she wasn't used to showing any of her legs, even if it was just her calves the hemline exposed.

"Are you kidding? If there's an excuse to be plastered to a guy, I'm taking it." Kayley waved it off, standing up and doing a twirl in her red dress since the class requested they wore skirts and heels to properly understand the movements of this passionate dance. No one dances in flats, it's not the same.

Her elder shook her head at the teen's words but she waved her out to walk with her into the studio where others were gathered for the lesson as well. Kayley shied a little bit at the windows, hesitant to be seen in a ballroom class like this but no one would look in on them at this hour. It was Anne's idea that she accompany her to the lesson since she claimed to have nothing to do that night and didn't want to face her father whenever he came home since she was still angry with him.

She kept to Anne's side as she did most of the time whenever they both had time off from work. She rather liked being around the older woman. She was forty five compared to her eighteen but the woman was very easy to get along with for being her age. Maybe it was because she had a son her age and understood the ways of the young better than most parents seemed to. Kayley peered over at the instructor as the old woman walked around her students and spoke with them, killing time before the lesson actually began. She didn't have to look long before narrowing her eyes on a rather appealing young man dressed in black. Oh yeah, she'd hit that. Smiling to herself, she silently hoped the heavens were smiling down at her and would give her the luck of being paired with the man.

"Stop ogling, Kayley." Anne whispered, nudging her with her elbow.

"What? I can appreciate a good looking man if I want to."

"Not when he's your instructor."

"What?" she snapped, whipping her head around to her friend. "Are you serious?"

Anne nodded, "Yes, he's very handsome but he's going to be teaching you how to dance and doesn't like messing around with his students from what I understand."

Well that just took the fun out of it. The world's finally quiet after the fiasco last year and Kayley finally feels like flirting again only to be turned down before she even started. What the heck was all of this about? She wanted to kick something but Anne held onto her wrist and pulled her over to the circle the students were forming around their instructors, prohibiting her from doing so. She noticed Anne do a double take and she pointed back towards the windows briefly.

"What about him?" Anne indicated outside to a young man walking with another male, probably his father or something judging by the age difference. A little geeky in her good opinion, he had a fuzzy head in comparison to the well-groomed older man with him.

"Not my type." She dismissed, turning back to the lesson as the instructors began to pair them up and the women were paired with strangers. Kayley sighed as she was given to a man that could have been her grandfather but he smiled at her warmly, dismissing any perverted thoughts she might have assumed he had in being with a teenager. She could tolerate this set-back. She could always try next time.

* * *

><p>"What is it?" Sam asked, pausing and turning slightly as Optimus lingered behind, watching through the window of the building they had been passing. He backtracked a few steps and peek in, raising an eyebrow to see what had caught the Prime's attention so suddenly. "It's a bunch of people taking a dance class. What?"<p>

The people inside were partnered up but the men were standing and holding the women's shoulders while their partners had their hands on their chests. All they seemed to be doing were walking in a circle around the instructors who were speaking to them but whatever the words were, Sam couldn't catch and didn't really care about anyway. He looked to Optimus and guessed that simple things like this would catch his interest. Optimus was usually interested in the smaller actions of humans after all.

"You want to go in?" Sam asked, finally catching Optimus' eye. The man looked back through the windows then shook his head, turning and walking onward. Sam shrugged his shoulders and followed him. "So what was that about?"

"I just wanted to watch." He said, shaking his head. "It's nothing."

"Well we can go back and watch if you're that interested in it, Optimus." He indicated back to the studio with his thumb. "I gotta admit it though, this is the first time I've seen you interested in something as a human. It was hard enough to get you to leave NEST even though Mearing let you guys have the right to leave whenever you felt like it."

"Only for a moment, Sam." The aged leader stated almost sounding a little exasperated. He indicated with a gesture of his hand ahead of them. "Please, let's continue."

"Alright, if you say so." Sam shrugged his shoulders and they continued to walk, leaving the studio behind and continuing on route. But it was interesting that Optimus stopped so suddenly for just a dance class where there wasn't even dancing. Just a lot of older people walking around in circles. Maybe it was because of the attractive girl that was in there wearing a red dress. That was certainly eye-grabbing. He glanced over at his friend and nudged him with his elbow, understanding the draw of a human woman's appearance. "For the record, she's way too young for you." Optimus looked up at him, puzzled and it was clear on his new face. Sam laughed, wrapping an arm around the older man's shoulders. "Look, Optimus, I know that a beautiful woman is hard to resist, trust me, I've learned from personal experience. But she looked like she was in her teens."

"To whom are you speaking about?" Optimus asked, "I was not focusing on any particular human. I was merely observing the human act of dancing."

Sam stared at him, he amusement cut short. "You mean you weren't staring at that girl in the red dress?"

"No, Sam." He shook his head, his voice resounding with honesty that Sam sighed at and gave up on having his fun. That's right, this was Optimus Prime, even if he was able to look human now, he wouldn't do something like check out women. Well, he could assume that Mearing would be glad to hear that. Something told Sam that if the Autobots started checking out human women, they would get into some serious trouble.

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><p><span>Please Review for the next chapter. Even if it's just the word: "Continue".<span>


	4. Stangers in the Booths

**Author's Note:**

**We begin another chapter. I apologize if anyone is disappointed by the progress of this story. I tend to rush when I write so there are details that probably lack. Yes, the Autobots are in pretty good control of themselves but that's because their human bodies are still formed out of mechanics and while they are smaller and covered in a flesh-like appearance, they are still not fully human so they adapt very well into their new bodies. It is interacting with other humans that they seem to find different because they rarely talk to the Average Joe ever since the government recruited them into their services.**

**I apologize if characters are not behaving as they normally would have but i say as I always do. I am just a fangirl writing out what comes into my imagination. Watch for the lines so you can see where the POV changes.  
><strong>

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><p>"If you want to meet someone, I can introduce you to my son if you want." Anne offered, pouring Kayley a cup of coffee and setting it onto the counter for her. "It would at least get you someone to talk to rather than spending time with me on your days off."<p>

Kayley frowned at the polka dotted counter top and pulled the mug closer. She wrinkled her nose at the idea of meeting Anne's son. No offense to her, but that sounded like every other older woman she ran into, thinking their son or grandson would be her soul mate in disguise but maybe Kayley didn't want a soul mate. She just liked a good-looking guy, that's all. "Thanks but no thanks. Nothing against your son, Anne, but I'm not interested in meeting the offspring of my friends."

Anne shook her head, "I didn't mean for you to date him. He just works too much and I think you might get along friendship-wise. He needs someone to hang out with rather than me all the time. I'm his mother. That's not healthy for a boy his age to just be around his mother."

"So you're saying he's a mamma's boy?"

"No," Anne turned away and set the coffee pot back beneath the dispenser. "I am not saying that. He works, he eats, and he sleeps. That is his life. I am only able to see him because he still lives with me and I catch him coming in and out the door. He's working two jobs but they're draining him. I want him to take some time to enjoy being young…he's not going to be eighteen forever."

Kayley observed the rather troubled expression in her friend's face and she nodded. Anne was concerned about her kid just like she was concerned about everything else in her life. But Kayley wondered if Anne was just as lost on friends as her son seemed to be. She worked, she slept. As far as Kayley knew the woman rarely slept because she was so busy trying to find more hours to keep paying the bills and save up money to put her son Nick through college eventually. The tango lesson she signed up for was the first thing she arranged that didn't involve busting her ass and it was a step towards fun in Kayley's opinion. "You try to rest once in a while yourself, okay?"

"I'm not as young as I used to be, Kayley." Anne reminded her, shaking her finger at her briefly. "I'll have time to rest when I've made up enough money to make sure I can still have a roof over my head when I get too old to lift a tray anymore or get burned by a fryer one too many times." Anne smiled at her before raising her eyes to the front door of the diner. Someone must have been coming in because seconds later she was greeting them with her ever-present smile, letting them know they could sit anywhere.

Kayley turned slightly in her chair, eyeing the cluster of men walking inside. Two older men who looked too stiff for their own good accompanied by three younger men, one of them wearing a yellow jacket that nearly burned her eyes at first glance. She saw two of them around before; they were friends that came in once in a while for a burger and shoot the breeze. Must have brought company this time around. All of them sat down at the booth in the back, furthest from the counter while Sammy, another waitress, picked up her pad and eagerly approached them. Bigger tables usually meant bigger tips and Anne was stuck on counter duty while the twenty-something year old got to bat her eyes at the men.

"Wasn't he in front of the studio last night?" Anne asked, indicating the group with a nod. She spoke a little quieter than before and Kayley double checked to see who she meant. Out of all the men she didn't see the fuzzy haired one but she did recognize the red and blue jacket from the geeky boy's father-aged companion. Yeah, and now that she saw him in better light, for an older man, he was definitely in good shape. If it wasn't for the gray peppering his dark hair, she would have said he was pretty attractive but men with gray usually meant too much old. She turned to Anne, smirking at the waitress a little.

"It could be. Why do you ask? Are you interested?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

Anne fixed her with a stern look the moment she noticed the tone in Kayley's voice, wiggled eyebrows aside. "Don't look at me like that. I just asked if it was the same person. Nothing else." She picked up a towel and threw it at her before retreating back into the kitchen area.

"Cute." Kayley smiled, turning her head and observing the 'man table' in the back. Sammy seemed to be less smiley now as she was scribbling on the pad of paper. Just seeing that tight-lipped expression on her face improved Kayley's mood. That seemed even more encouraging. "Very cute…"

Sammy returned to the counter, slapping the notepad onto the surface and folding her arms across her narrow chest. "I swear, why do you bother coming to a diner when you're not going to eat anything?"

"Were you just writing down ways to kill them on that pad then?" Kayley asked; pointing at the pad in question with a straw she stole from the dispenser on the other side of the counter.

"No, the two regulars actually ordered something. The other guys wanted water and that was it." She slammed her hand over the notepad and drug it off the counter, sashaying off into the back. It wasn't long until Anne reemerged with Kayley's tuna melt in hand. The teen smiled as it was set down in front of her and Anne shook her head at her when she eagerly scooped it up into her hands to take her first bite.

"You eat the strangest combinations." Anne observed. "Coffee and a tuna melt…I think you're the only one who orders that."

"Good, more for me then." Kayley mused, biting into her sandwich. "Sam's pissed." She chimed through a full mouth and Anne seemed to understand by her nod.

"She was ranting to Harry when I left the back." Anne explained, "Something about how out of all of them two actually talked to her and they were the only ones that ordered. She thinks she won't get a tip off of them…but that depends on if she holds her temper when she goes back there again."

Kayley wasn't rooting for Sammy to get a tip out of the table, she shrugged her shoulders and continued to ravage her sandwich, glancing up at Anne while she brushed her bangs out of her face and busied herself with refilling the creamer bowls along the counter. In a woman's opinion, Anne had aged rather gracefully but her hair was already showing signs of gray in it even though she was in her mid forties. The woman worked herself like crazy all her life since she dropped out of college to be with her husband, now ex-husband who continued to use his past with her to mooch money every now and then. Kayley had something for him if she ever crossed his path anytime soon and it definitely wasn't money.

"Anne, did you try to date when your son got older?" she asked, setting down her sandwich. "You still look good. You should think about it."

"No, that's done." Anne shook her head, "I am retired from dating. Now if you'll excuse me, I have water glasses to refill until Sammy comes back, which doesn't seem to be anytime soon." She huffed her final words, picking up a water pitcher and walking out from behind the counter. In a quick walk she was back at the table and leaning over to refill water pitchers while smiling at them apologetically for interrupting their conversation and after a moment Kayley noticed that the two regulars started to talk to her and something that looked like introductions were being made around the table. The men encouraged her to shake hands with their friends and she did so, exchanging a few more words before making her return to the counter. Kayley watched her return but her eyes caught one of the men. The one from last night was watching Anne, but it was only a brief glance before his eyes were focused on the others again.

Kayley felt the urge to smile again. Interesting…

"Who are they?" She asked when Anne was back behind the counter and started to refill the pitcher.

"Will and Epps, they used to be in the air force overseas a few years ago but were stationed here until Epps got a new job out of town. Every now and then they meet up here in town to catch up since they found different jobs. They brought some of their friends from Will's team in with them today while they show them around town."

"And who are the friends?"

"Ratchet, Orion, and Bee, Ratchet and Bee are nicknames it seems."

"Interesting nicknames…" Kayley was puzzled by the strange choices.

"Epps said they gained them overseas. Bee for the Muhammad Ali reference, you know, 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' and Ratchet because he was a medical officer who was very good at fixing their guys up. They joke around that he fixes them up like a mechanic does a car so that's where they gave him his name. As for Orion, he said he prefers his real name over nicknames…really deep voice that one has."

"A _good_ deep voice?" Kayley winked.

"Stop it!" Anne frowned and took away her coffee. "You don't need any more caffeine."

"Hey, I wasn't finished!" The teenager reached for her mug but the two became distracted as Sammy huffed by with a small tray consisting of two burgers. She didn't bother with the pitcher and would probably be annoyed that Anne filled up their glasses for them without her say-so. Tough luck, at least Anne knew how to treat her customers. Kayley settled back on her stool and huffed at the absence of her coffee, looking for the towel Anne had tossed at her previously and wadding it up; throwing it back at her.

Anne caught the towel almost too casually and smirked at her then set the mug back down smugly. Grabbing a bottle of Windex from where it was stashed under the little sink on the other side of the breakfast bar, Anne took the returned towel in hand and strode out from behind the counter. Kayley had been around the diner plenty of times to know where everything was hidden behind the counter and , unfortunately, she also knew that Anne was going to go do someone else's job. The diner was so understaffed that the two waitresses had to bus tables and clean the place up while the cook and dishwasher hid in the back. The reason was because the owner was a cheapskate and didn't want to have to pay more people to work the same shifts.

"Leave the windows, Anne. I'll play nice this time." Kayley called over but Anne waved her off, crawling into a booth and spritzing away at the window where she could see fingerprints from the hands of previous customers against the fading light outside. "By the way, Anne, do you need a ride home tonight?"

"No, I can walk. It's good for me." She said over her shoulder, rubbing away at the streaks.

Kayley smiled, knowing that would be her answer.

Even if there was the threat of a tornado, Anne would walk home rather than have someone take her. She only rode around with Kayley whenever there was a distance to travel greater than five miles, otherwise she would walk everywhere if given the chance to save money. She didn't own a car due to the cost of insurance, gas, and maintenance. This woman had a plan for getting around that Kayley, being the daughter of a doctor, felt badly for not understanding it. She focused on her sandwich again, munching away while listening in on the table at the back but didn't understand them outside of the sounds of their voices.

The deep voice she heard every now and then must have been Orion's as Anne mentioned. She glanced back at them once in a while but other than that, once she finished her coffee and her sandwich, she had nothing left to keep her there. Pushing the plate and empty mug aside, Kayley turned about the stool and slid off to go tell Anne she was ready to pay. While she made her way over to the table where Anne was kneeling on a bench seat and wiping away, Sammy passed her still in a huff with check in hand. She followed her with her eyes and smirked at the forced smile on the woman's face.

She leaned against the table belonging to the current section Anne was cleaning. "Sammy isn't going to be tipped well tonight. You would have to be blind not to see how fake that smile is."

"Then you are escaping just in time." Anne said; scooting herself out of the booth and standing back a moment to make sure the window was streak free. Sammy was supposed to do the rest as her side work that night after busing her table that she would probably push onto Anne in the end, somehow. Who knows what that woman was scheming in her tiny brain? "I'll ring up your order for you and you can head home. It's probably a good thing you head out since it's almost completely dark now."

"Oh, so I shouldn't be out after dark but you can?"

"I'm hardly worth the effort to attack." She said, holding out her arms to present herself. Kayley wanted to smack her at that moment but kept her hand down and secure at her side. She knew that Anne had a low self esteem thanks to her age and the effect her ex husband had on her but this woman had to understand that she was a beautiful person no matter what society says. It was just hard to convince her of that when it was coming from another woman. With men's minds being corrupted by visuals of what the ideal woman should look like, Kayley had to admit that all women that didn't look like a supermodel were out of luck in this shallow town.

Anne led her back to the counter where she rang up her order on the old fashioned cash register that had the 1980's heavy plastic look to it. After the register spit out a trail of paper, Anne tore off the final amount and handed it to her to see the total price. Kayley fished out the money she already counted out earlier that day since she always ordered the same thing and pulled a hefty tip out of her other pocket that she kept folded in her palm for the time being.

"Give me a hug before I drive off into the sunset," Kayley demanded, coming around to the opening of the counter and holding out her arms.

Anne complied and embraced the girl with a firm, maternal hug that Kayley always willingly clung to since her first encounter with this woman. "Give Nick a shot, okay?" Anne encouraged gently. The teen nodded her dark head and as they drew apart, Kayley slipped the tip into the pocket of Anne's apron.

"Don't count it until I'm gone. I know you'll try to force me to take it back otherwise." She warned, pointing a finger at her as she retreated back to the exit.

"Or I could just force you to take it back at work tomorrow!" Anne called.

Kayley waved the words away, retreating outside into the cool evening air. Walking over to her truck she paused from unlocking it, lifting her eyes to the windows of the diner where the table of men were still lingering but they were starting to get to their feet now. She could see the bright yellow jacket the most prominently and tilted her head slightly to see the wearer's face. The boy was cute, he looked pretty young but maybe it was just a baby face since his height would have been inches taller than her own if she were to stand next to him. She nodded in approval of the cluster of men. One of them was too grouchy for her taste. The one in the red and blue jacket that she assumed was Orion seemed the least into whatever words were being exchanged while they shuffled towards the entrance.

A quick glance back at their now vacant table and the scowl on Sammy's face gave her all the satisfaction in the world before she turned back to the truck and made her leave. What a day…

* * *

><p>"Hey, Anne, thanks for the refills." Lennox said, approaching her with his usual charming smile. Anne nodded, accepting the hand he held out to her and shook it. The two former airmen were always polite to her and friendly since her first meeting with them but their friends were rather quiet in comparison. She had greeted them all when Epps introduced everyone but the one nicknamed Ratchet seemed rather irritable and barely looked at her when he muttered a greeting. The one known as Bee did not speak but he smiled at her enthusiastically upon their introduction. She shook his hand as well when they filed out the door and Anne felt the strongest urge to hug the smallest of the five men. He seemed so childish in comparison to the others.<p>

Orion passed her with a nod of the head as a silent farewell and she returned the nod, watching him slip outside with the rest of the men a little longer than she meant to. If the graying hair was any indication along with the lines on his face, he was older than her but hardly looked like it. He was fully clothed with barely any skin showing and yet she couldn't imagine this man having any flab on him at all. Maybe he wasn't a muscle-head but definitely fit compared to her ex-husband, Ian, whose looks weren't bad but he was putting on some weight and didn't wear it well.

"What am I doing?" she murmured, covering her face with a hand after the men were out of sight. "Staring at men…"

"They might have been easy on the eyes but that one was just rude!" Sammy snapped, pointing out the window but there was no one there. "The one I green I mean. He said I was 'incompetent'! Who the hell uses the word '_incompetent_' anymore?"

Sammy dropped the bus tub onto the table and dropped the plastic water glasses into it in an array of thuds and thunks that were followed by the clatter of the two burger plates. Anne would have thought that Sammy was lucky the guys weren't messy but even with that plus her fellow employee was pretty livid. She grumbled about her lousy tip and Anne tried to busy herself by returning behind the counter and clearing away Kayley's dishes. It was unfortunate that Sammy didn't get a good tip but you are paid for what you provide…unless the person is just an asshole, then you're just doomed no matter what.

* * *

><p>"Oi, you lot! Get a move on!" Leadfoot snapped, waving on the other two Wreckers. It was their first day out of the base as humans and they were all eager to explore the scrap yard that had been barred to their access until now. But Roadbuster and Topspin were certainly taking their sweet time in approaching the chain-link fence barring their access while two members of their NEST comrades walked along with them, keeping an eye on the three since they were never trusted to be on their own. Ratchet had offered to take them out himself but Lennox and Epps refused, drafting him, Optimus, and Bumblebee to join them in a tour of the city and to see a diner they often visited together. Ratchet wasn't in the best of moods after that moment.<p>

Dino trailed behind them, the least interested of the bunch but he kept quiet while he walked beside the equally silent Topspin. He wasn't interested in looking into the scrap; he was more interested in getting the approval to travel without a military escort. Perhaps go and see a few races in the European circuit that some of the soldiers told him about. As a spy, he knew how to get around without being noticed but with Mearing growing even stricter over these human bodies, he almost wished that they were sent out on military missions again.

The two soldiers, Bryant and Gary they were called, talked to the owner and he opened the place up to them, Leadfoot leading the way inside and immediately approaching a pile of rusted cars stacked atop one another. Topspin jogged over to him and they eagerly threw back the hood on the nearest one and proceeded to observe the insides of the ancient vehicle. Roadbuster shoved at them to try and see what they were pouring over, Leadfoot using his extra girth to knock him aside and laughing heartily when he saw him stagger aside.

"You're a real charmer, you are." He scoffed, pointing at Leadfoot. "The least those scientists could do was give you a smaller belly." He patted his lithe stomach as an example and the squat man glared at him, shaking a fist at him.

"It's not the size that matters, ye ass!"

"Hey, knock it off you two!" Dino snapped, his Italian accent flaring as he glared at them.

Fine lot the Autobots had become. Though it was strange that the humans carried over Leadfoot's build into his human form as well. He was shorter than most of the Autobots but he was also bulkier and almost crude whenever it came to his fighting abilities. As a human he was still shorter than several of the other human bots, squat with a generous middle section that he patted with a sense of pride while glaring at Roadbuster before leaning back over the car parts. Tugging up at his jeans, he brushed his hand off on his red plaid shirt and scratched at his rusty red hair with thick fingers and braced his hands on his hips while Topspin jostled his shoulder as a rough means of silently conveying his support.

In comparison to Leadfoot, Topspin was taller and built of sterner stuff. He wore a mechanic's dark blue coveralls he had discovered in the pile the humans had donated and used it as his clothing of choice. His hair was black that almost shone blue when the sunlight struck against it at the right angle, cut short but still managed to stick out at odd angles no matter how often he tried to push it down flat against his head in the beginning. Even though he was covered up by the mechanic's garb, it was obvious the scientists were generous with his muscles underneath, something they skimped out on Roadbuster.

Roadbuster was the same height at Topspin but built long and lean. He had a thin face with traces of dark stubble that matched his dark brown hair that was neatly trimmed to the name of his neck. Unlike Sideswipe's discourage at the shaggy mane they gave him, Roadbuster seemed to like the length of his human hair. He wore a green t shirt with dark jeans that were secured by a belt with a buckle that bore the Chevrolet symbol. The belt buckle already inspired Epps to make request to an old friend of his to make belt buckles for all of the Autobots and their new forms, bearing their symbol. It was more of an idea that they thought was cool at the time and Sideswipe approved.

"Wot's this?" Leadfoot pulled up a wrinkled hose and tossed it over to Roadbuster, leaving a trail of brown dust flying behind it that burst into the taller human's face. Spitting the contents out of his mouth, he proceeded to use the hose to strike at the other bot but Topspin snatched it away and threw it off into the distance while the soldiers moved in to split them up.

Dino shook his head at them, turning away and leaning against the body of an old car. Compared to the rougher-looking Wreckers' human forms, Dino's was much more charismatic, muscled lean but hardly scrawny and his skin was olive in comparison to the pallid epidermis of his comrades. He understood why the scientists chose this look for him since his alternate form was a Ferarri, an Italian-made vehicle known for its speed and appearance. It was probably why he looked the most charming of the group of Autobots. It may also be the reason why Dr. Bloom grew flustered when she was removing the wires from his body after they had monitored his vitals during the personality and data transfer.

He chuckled at her reaction to him thanking her, his accent probably doing the trick. Dino had plenty of downtime on this earth to browse the human's internet. And since the Autobots' processors were several times faster than any human computer's he was able to scan through the cyber world and pick up an accent he felt best suited him while learning the languages and researching the origins of his alternate vehicle mode. Women always found Italian men appealing and so he was impressed that the body provided to him would be one that ironically matched his vehicle model and accent. He even picked up the nickname of Dino while on this planet to better suit the model he had chosen for himself. But he still sometimes missed his true name. Mirage. But he was no illusion.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll update when I find the next chapter ready to post. Thank you for reading and please post "continue" or leave a review if you want more so I can keep posting chapters.<strong>


	5. It's Just the Rain

**Author's Note:**

**I don't know how many readers I have but I thought I should upload this chapter to mark the new year. This might be the point where people start to lose interest because it probably sounds like every other fan fiction out there. However, this is my story and I felt like sharing it.**

**Again, I do not own any of the Transformers or humans outside of my OC's. Please pardon any out of character moments the canon characters may have in this chapter. Look for the lines that separate the point of view!**

* * *

><p>"So you're into martial arts?"<p>

"Into it? I mastered it back where I come from." Sideswipe mused, leaning against the side of the building he had paused outside of, previously watching a group of children in karate class. "But it wasn't like this here. The techniques I learned were more for actual combat than just self defense."

The woman standing outside with him nodded but her face appeared a little grim as she did so. Compared to Sideswipe, she was quite shorter than him and her clothes seemed to drape on her, making her seem even smaller in size. She had long black hair that was braided and looped over one shoulder while she held onto the strap of her purse. From his analysis in the past of human cultures, her ethnicity was Asian. She brought a small smile back onto her features, turning to look into the window again. "I come here to watch my nephew practice and take him home afterwards. You probably think it's such a stereotype for a family of our heritage being involved in martial arts like this." She nodded at the building.

"I think that you can be any nationality and still learn how to defend yourself. But I understand stereotypes very well; I am surrounded by them, actually." He would not elaborate how exactly but the woman did not ask. She smiled at him again, the emotion rather muted on her face like she was too nervous to smile at him fully before she focused on the practicing children again. "Which one is your nephew?"

"He is the third in the last row." She said, pointing inside.

Sideswipe leaned over and took a peek inside to see the boy following the instructions. From what he could see the boy's reaction was a little delayed but he was maintaining the proper stance and posture that human martial arts called for. When he took this walk, he was originally with Optimus, the only Autobot allowed to leave base without a human escort to accompany him because they all knew that he was the most unlikely to cause trouble. They walked together, Optimus speaking of the layout of the town and mentioning a diner where Lennox and Epps introduced him, Ratchet, and Bumblebee to a friend of theirs before they continued out on their tour of Washington D.C. They were just passing by this facility when Dino appeared in his vehicle mode, asking that Optimus come along with him.

Sideswipe promised to behave himself and guaranteed Optimus he would return soon before the leader reluctantly climbed into the waiting sports car and Dino drove off. He lingered by the lesson center, watching over the young humans learn their moves by their instructor until he noticed the presence of this woman as she reluctantly stepped up to the window but as far from him as possible. He continued to watch inside until their slow conversation was begun by her questioning his interest in the martial arts.

"He's a good looking boy. His mom's gotta be proud, right?" he asked, smiling over at her.

She lowered her eyes. "Yes, she is…but she passed away a year ago."

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry I—"

The woman jostled her head, her braid slipping back over her shoulder from the movement. "It's alright. My sister died over a year ago, during the Chicago attack, actually. She was up there visiting a friend of hers and I was watching over my nephew for her at the time. I don't know much about her death, but they found her remains so we were able to give her a proper burial at least. Andy took her death hard, karate classes were pretty much all he really had to keep his mind off of it. But he is young, he is recovering gradually."

The fact that this was a survivor of the last Decepticon attack startled him greatly. Chicago was a big city and many people must have known humans that were killed in the attack. Still, meeting a human that was genetically bonded to one that was killed in the attack was a harsh blow to his spark, or heart, whatever it was that beat in his human chest at this moment. It was no wonder this woman looked so solemn and frail compared to the humans whose paths he crossed since leaving the base.

"Well, he looks like a strong boy. You are taking good care of him."

She smiled, a short laugh escaping her lips while she tucked a strand of ink black hair behind her ear. He could see her fingers were long and thin, fragile fingers in comparison to his own, he glanced down at his own hand braced on the wall and back to hers but she was already partially hiding them again within the sleeve of her sweater. "He is strong, like his mother…ah, I'm sorry. I must sound depressing right now. If you'll excuse me, I think I'll step inside and wait for him in there."

She ducked her head and hurried around him, entering the building before he could say anything. He looked into the window and watched her move along the wood paneled wall in the front of the room behind the teacher's back and she gave a slight nod of the head his way then averted her eyes. He sighed, uncertain of why this woman grew so nervous so suddenly before him. Shaking his head, he turned away from the building and retraced his steps that he and Optimus once walked to head back to base. He guessed he still had much to learn still to understand humans in the end.

* * *

><p>"Sorry for picking you up so suddenly, Optimus. Everyone is getting pretty antsy back at headquarters for some reason. Wreckers and I came back from the scrap yard and Ratchet insisted I transfer back into my body and go find you right away."<p>

Optimus shook his head, shifting in the seat. It was unusual to be riding alone inside of one of his companions like this. He was not used to seeing things from a passenger's point of view outside of using Lennox's truck he transported them around within. It was a truck of the same make and model as Ironhide's chosen alternate form as his family's way of remembering him. But riding inside of Dino in the small and confined space of the sports car was a different encounter entirely. This he knew to be one of his fellow race while Lennox's topkick truck was merely a machine.

"The energon censors were activated in the Middle East and in Asia. We have no reports of confirmed sightings but their governments are keeping the humans alert for the time being." Optimus explained, looking out of the tinted window. "Perhaps returning to my own body would be the best option rather than leaving the base again as requested."

"No, Optimus. You barely do anything to relax. Sideswipe and I can go overseas to check things out when he returns to base if you're that concerned. For now you need to take it easy. That's what the human bodies are for after all." Dino denied the idea; all of the Autobots would agree that Optimus took on a lot of the assignments during their days of hunting down their Decepticon foes before and after the rise of the Fallen. Optimus was at every battle whenever Sam was in trouble; he always fought hard for his allies and his friends. Now that things were remotely peaceful outside of this hiccup, he should enjoy the peace and relax without being in the company of soldiers and weapons.

"Should you encounter any problems, report to me at once." Optimus ordered firmly and Dino chuckled.

"Sure, sure. I understand." He revved his engine for emphasis and continued to drive along the road. "Want me to return you to that area I found you?"

Optimus gave no immediate answer as he peered out the window, recognizing the diner Epps and Lennox had taken him, Ratchet, and Bumblebee to the other day after Bumblebee became more familiar with his alternate human form. Dr. Pullman instructed that they may only ingest water to keep their circuits cool inside of the false brains driving their systems but nothing else. However, requesting water seemed to have angered the woman that brought their glasses to them in the beginning.

The diner slid past them and in moments it was gone from sight. Optimus continued to watch outside of the window as the car drove along, his eyes not catching the details of the night as well as his optics would have originally perceived things. But as he thought this, he did catch a glimpse of the rain water that began to dot the windshield and streak across the surface of the glass. He watched the patterns the water left behind absently until Dino's voice caught his attention. It was not like him to become so unfocused like this.

"Aren't humans supposed to carry umbrellas when it rains like this?" he asked aloud. Peering into the night, Optimus saw a human walking along the sidewalk with their shoulders hunched and already darkened with water from the strengthening rain. He noticed the dark hair and the form of the human, pressing a hand against Dino's door panel while he strained his neck to make sure it was who he assumed it was while the car passed them. The sudden pressure against the door seemed to disturb Dino. "What is it, Optimus?"

"I know that human." He said as Dino slowed a little. He followed the figure with his eyes and saw her face briefly before they passed her. It was the waitress Lennox spoke to familiarly at the diner. Anne as he recalled her name to be. "She is a friend of Colonel Lennox."

"Should we give her a ride?"

Optimus looked at the car's dashboard as he slowed even more, pulling over against the curb smoothly and stopping. "What?"

"Well, she is a friend of Lennox, isn't she? What harm would it be to help her out?" That was true…but she didn't know anything about the Autobots. That was against the rules. But it was as if Dino read his leader's mind at that moment. "You are human now, I just have to keep quiet and you keep your hands on the wheel while I do the rest, got it?"

"I understand the primary operations of a vehicle, Dino." Optimus stated almost defensively.

"Right, I didn't say you don't. But by how long you were watching the human, I am wondering if you can process driving and watching her at the same time." The soldier jested.

"Dino," Optimus warned but he was disregarded.

"Look sharp, she's getting closer."

Fixing his comrade with a stern glare, Optimus sighed and opened the door; climbing out into the rain and flinching at the several droplets that struck him repeatedly. As a being composed of metal, the water usually would run right off of him, but as a human, he felt it dampening his skin and heard it patter against his jacket while he blank it out of his eyes, walking up to the woman who stopped in mid-step when she nearly collided with him on the sidewalk. She looked up at him, clearly startled at his sudden appearance but offered a smile while pulling her jacket off and holding it over her head.

"Ah, you're Orion." She said, hoisting it up higher and attempting to hold it over both of their heads. He watched her actions and while he was not meters taller than her now, he was still at a greater height to hers and took the jacket from her, holding it higher and better covering her head. "Oh, thank you."

"Ms. Eilenberg, I saw you walking and presumed you would appreciate a ride home." He said, leaning down to her a little by instinct. The gesture made her flinch and he drew away abruptly, holding his position since closer proximity seemed to startle her.

"Uh, thank you, Orion, but I'm fine. You should get out of the rain though, you could get sick." She reached up for the coat but Optimus didn't lower it to her hands just yet.

"Wouldn't you become ill yourself for walking in the rain?"

"Point taken." She smiled wryly up at him, wiping water dribbling down her forehead. "But I would soak your seat. I don't think you want that when you have that kind of a car."

Anne nodded toward the red Ferrari, appearing a little more grim-faced at the sight of it. Optimus shook his head, "I don't mind. Please, let me take you home."

She eyed him then, giving him a look that he would regard as suspicious, though he was uncertain why. The woman Anne gave a slow nod and he lowered her jacket to her again, letting her take hold of it and guiding her to Dino. The Autobot opened his door for the woman and she appeared confused by the sudden opening of the door but slid inside anyway while Optimus continued around and sat in the driver's seat, shutting himself in with the human woman. She was peering around the interior of the vehicle while fastening her seatbelt; swallowing as she finally met his eyes and smiled. Optimus eyed the sheepish smile with a sense of affection that felt akin to watching over his human friends and the smile broke gently across his own lips.

"Thank you. I appreciate this. But I still feel bad that I'm getting your interior wet." She peered around then as he assumed the position of taking the wheel and switching the car back into drive but Dino practically took the lead under his fingers, pulling away from the curb with his foot poised over the gas pedal. Maybe his comrade was right; he might have needed the help when trying to converse with this human after all.

"I recall water drying after a period of time unless this has changed somehow." He said, glancing over at her even though he should have been attempting to watch the road.

"No, that still happens." She nodded, shifting on the seat a little and angling herself away from him. He wasn't sure why she seemed to be so wary of him but she did continue to speak with him by telling her how to get to her home. "You might just want to drop me off at my street. My neighborhood isn't exactly used to having shiny Ferraris driving around it and I don't want to put your car at risk when you were just trying to help me out.

Optimus could imagine Dino reacting to a human trying to steal him. It would not turn out well in the end and Optimus would not have approved of the method used and yet he knew that would be the outcome. The Autobots were not always under his surveillance after all and while they were linked by communication methods, he did not always know what they were up to without him around. But he trusted them to not do anything too reckless. But thinking about Dino protecting himself made him chuckle; earning a slightly puzzled expression from his fellow passenger.

"I think it will be fine." He said, lowering his eyes to the Autobot symbol replacing the Ferarri emblem on the steering wheel then back up at the road. "I will take you directly to your home, Ms—"

"Anne."

"Hm?" he raised an eyebrow.

"You don't have to address me by my last name. I only know you as Orion, so you can call me Anne and we can make it an even first name basis." She explained; angling towards him a little more compared to her previously distant posture. "My house is on the left up here. It's the white one with the blue door."

Dino steered into the small driveway of the squat little house. It was very small building that was single-story with boxy windows and a dark blue door that seemed to be fading from years of facing the elements. Optimus surveyed the property thoughtfully, knowing that he couldn't even squat behind the building and be concealed should he ever needed to. Why he imagined being around the house to begin with was unknown and he shook the image away, focusing instead on Anne while she unfastened her seatbelt and reached for the handle but Dino was faster, opening his door for her.

"Automatic doors?" she asked.

He nodded, it was not a lie but he couldn't explain it either.

"Thank you for taking me home, Orion. I appreciate it." As she spoke, she started to climb out of the car. She lingered by the door a moment before leaning her head back inside. "Maybe I'll see you around at the diner in the future?"

It was uncertain how much longer he would linger in the outside world as a human but he nodded again. "When I find the opportunity."

Anne smiled, moving out of the way and preparing to push the door shut. "Bye."

Shutting it firmly, Anne ran through the rain to the front step of the little house, working with her keys to open the door. Once the door opened to allow her inside, she turned and waved before shutting herself inside. Optimus relaxed against the seat as Dino reversed out of the driveway and started to head back into the street. "Maybe it is the rate of the rain hitting my exterior but I thought I detected an increase in your own heart rate during that ride, Optimus."

"It is just the rain striking you, Dino." He said, shutting his eyes. "Nothing more."

"Is that right then?" Dino mused, "Do you want to know my readings on the _human's_ heart rate?"

"Just hurry." The frustration lacing his words this time made Dino speed up and the two remained silent for the rest of the drive back to base. But even with his slight irritation from the pestering on Dino's behalf, Optimus did wonder…

* * *

><p>"Sideswipe, I thought you and Dino were shipping out." Ratchet said, surprised to see the two still lingering in the warehouse. Dino turned to Ratchet with a chuckle, facing his slight superior while indicating back over his shoulder towards the laboratory where Optimus was being transferred back into his true body after a night of attempting to rest in the form as all of them practiced with some difficulty.<p>

"We are. Just telling Sideswipe about my encounter the other night."

"Elaborate." He said, not liking the smiles on their faces.

"It's nothing big," Sideswipe said, coming forward, "Just concerned for Optimus is all."

"Why is that?"

"We bumped into a friend of Colonel Lennox's the other night and I gave her a lift back to her place. Optimus was pretty tense in the car. I'm wondering if he has attached himself to this human."

"Nonsense, that is nothing to be concerned over. You are both aware of Optimus' devotion to the human race on this planet." Ratchet shook his head, turning away to return to the lab, "You are making something out of nothing."

Maybe that was so, but even after he left the two, there was a sense of humor still lingering in the air that Ratchet found slightly irritating. Optimus Prime was their leader and it wasn't respectful to talk about him whenever he couldn't hear them. But even if he tried to think of ways to make them think about what they had said, he could almost see the potential of such a thing happening with the Prime. And it was dangerous for them to get attached to any human that wasn't under the title of friendship. Optimus knew that. He always thought out his actions before performing them.

So why was Ratchet concerned when he entered the lab and focused his optics on the Autobot leader while the berth raised him to his feet, flexing his metallic hands. He turned at the sight of Ratchet in the entryway and nodded to him. "Something is on your mind, Ratchet."

"Are you certain sending those two alone is the best choice of action for the energon readings overseas?" he asked, walking with his superior out into the main hanger, mindful of the human soldiers walking around and between their feet in a practiced pace.

"Colonel Lennox will be taking a small group of human soldiers with them to assist them in their search. If there is a problem, they will notify me immediately." Optimus explained, turning his optics towards the troops heading for the door.

"Take care, Optimus. Try not to cause any trouble while we're gone, will you?" Sideswipe mused. Optimus shook his head slowly, turning away from them and approaching the second story platform where Mearing was standing with her arms folded.

"We're not expecting any more of your friends, are we Optimus?" she asked; raising an eyebrow at him with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Ever since Sentinel's betrayal, the woman has doubted Optimus' judgment and the hopeful idea that crossed his and the Autobot's minds was the hope that more of their allies might have found their way to earth was nearly extinguished by her statement alone. It was a small hope and one that was cautious due to their previous endeavor, but Mearing was not hearing of it anytime soon. They were lucky she even permitted Pullman to create the alternate bodies for them and she was just as severe as ever.

"We shall see." He said, his voice low but underlying with a dark note that showed he did not approve of her attitude towards him. Ratchet glared at her and followed Optimus to the entrance. "Ratchet, let's roll."

With that the two transformed and rolled out, pulling through the gateway and accelerating up the street. Ratchet knew where they were going. Since they established a home for their fallen comrades, he and Optimus had visited the grave sights on quiet days to pay their silent respects and discuss whatever was on their conscience at the time. Ratchet didn't mind it since the planet was much more enjoyable when they weren't sitting around on stand-by in the warehouse. War made things more active but the times of peace would have been better spent if they could stretch out without the concern of human interference.

Humans knew of the Autobots sworn to protect them and their planet. From what Ratchet gathered from the posts he discovered across the internet, however, humans met them with mixed emotions. Some still blame them for the attacks; others are grateful for their presence keeping them safe. He just hoped that they would keep their opinions to themselves and never tried to turn against them again. The previous time nearly broke Optimus' spark and yet he continued to protect them without a doubt in his processor. He sometimes wished he could understand it, but other times he just already knew.

"Optimus," he finally spoke up through their com link, "Dino has said something that has been bothering me."

The semi and the modified hummer approached the gates fitted to the wrought iron fencing surrounding the memorial field dedicated to the fallen Autobots and NEST members that were not returned to their origins. The gatekeeper opened the gates for them without a second thought, waving them through before shutting it behind them while they followed the pale road snaking through the tombstones until they reached the far side of the plot where the massive graves containing the remains of their fallen lay out before them. The two transformed and Optimus stared down at the large stones bearing the names of their dead before turning to the concerned medical officer. "Speak freely, Ratchet."

"Dino claims that while he was taking your human form back out into the city after we spoke about the energon readings, you picked up a human woman and took her home." He summarized, gauging the Prime's face while he watched him stoically, the faceplates hardly revealing anything that would flag a real reaction out of the ordinary to Ratchet. "He also said that you were behaving strangely while sharing the vehicle with her. Was there a problem with your functions?"

"No," Optimus shook his head, "Everything was functional. But I understand your concern. The human woman was Anne Eilenberg, a friend of Colonel Lennox's that we chanced across while she was returning home. It was raining and so to prevent her becoming ill, we drove her to her house. We may have exchanged a few words but that is the extent of the encounter."

Ratchet nodded his head, crossing his arms and turning to the grave of Arcee. It was wider than the others since they had to bury three bodies beside one another to form her whole. "You can't blame me for being concerned, Optimus. This is the first contact we have made with humans while they were not in danger and I know very well how much you want to protect them to prevent anything from happening to them like it occurred on Cybertron. But I hope you don't find yourself too…erm…attached to this human."

"I hardly know this woman, Ratchet. Calm yourself." He sighed, "I am aware of the troubles human and cybertronian relations would cause."

Ratchet could visualize kicking himself while he lowered his optics to his feet. "I'm sorry, Optimus. I was just making sure." Of course Optimus knew. They all knew that the few humans, who knew of their true existence, though friendly with them, would be troubled if any of the Autobots began to form relationships outside of friendship with the general public. It was a breech in their national security since the president ordered that the Autobots remain hidden from the public eye and remain in vehicular mode. Those bodies of Dr. Pullman's made experiencing earth much easier once Sam could convince the superiors that the Autobots were capable of solitary ventures into the public. That is, if Whitwicky could handle the pressure first and foremost.

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><p><strong>You want more? You have to Review. Even if it's just a simple: Please Continue. I would appreciate it.<strong>


	6. Disturbance in the Atmosphere

**Writer's Note:**

**So, yeah, it's been a while since I updated but with low interest I got a little discouraged in uploading. Then I just came to the conclusion that it's my story and if people don't like it, so what? I enjoy writing it and I can always read it myself when I can't read it on my own computer. xD  
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**I do not own Transformers in any way, shape, or form so it is entirely possible the original characters will not sound like themselves. This is the writing of a fan girl inspired by her own imagination so love stories can and will happen. Just warning you ahead of time. =P  
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**Look for the lines for changes in Point of View!  
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><p>"So far I'm still trying to get stuff packed." Mikaela said, picking up a box while relying on her headset to stay hooked onto her ear. "Some friends of mine helped me out but then they had to head out for work. The essentials are done at least."<p>

She set the box down with a huff, running a hand over her hair and making quick work out of tying it back out of her face with a formerly wristed hair band. Striding past the stacks of boxes, she bent over to retrieve a flattened one off the ready and waiting pile to carry it into her tiny kitchen and continue the grab and stash. There wasn't a lot of crockery to pack since she never really cooked much but there was still plenty to fit into at least one box. Assembling it, Mikaela pulled the tape off the counter; balancing the box on her knee while folding the flaps together.

"You still there?" she asked after the noticeable silence on the other end of the line.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm here. Just keeping an eye on the GPS, that's all." Sam's voice returned over the small speaker and she smiled, relieved he hadn't hung up on her or lost the connection. He was clearly distracted by the monitor that revealed the positions of the Autobots in the Middle East, keeping tabs on their movements to make sure there were no disturbances that could have implied there was an attack they couldn't handle. It was rare for them to have such difficulties with the Decepticons seemingly gone but they both knew those things didn't stay down for long.

"Are they still overseas?" she asked, taping up the bottom of the box with a long strip that stubbornly clung to the serrated edge of the dispenser. She had to limit specifics about what they were talking about when it came to the Autobots since they were on civilian phone lines that could easily have been tapped into. It was something they learned to do while still teenagers after the Autobots first arrived and she always got a kick out of trying to avoid names and terms while Sam would have to figure out what she meant. It had turned into a game that she found hilarious, especially whenever Sam got frustrated because he couldn't figure out what she was talking about some of the time. He had a hard enough time explaining to her that Sideswipe, Dino, Lennox, and a team of other NEST members were going overseas to investigate sudden energon readings popping up in the east.

"Yeah, they didn't find anything in the desert when they checked the vicinity but there was some noise farther east that they're heading for now. I just want to keep an eye on them so I know they're okay." He explained, his voice getting a little defensive when he admitted to wanting to keep an eye on them.

Setting the box onto the counter, Mikaela leaned against it, reaching up and touching the earpiece thoughtfully, "You think they're coming out of hiding?" She didn't like worrying about them coming back but it sounded possible with the energon detectors being triggered in different parts of the world. If they kept going off, the Autobots would have to go investigate and she wouldn't be able to see them as often as she planned to once re-locating to Arlington. It was barely a twenty minute drive to D.C. where the Autobots were stationed so the government could keep an eye on them and also wave it in the faces of the other countries that we had the shiny alien robots on our side. Mikaela rolled her eyes at the thought many times since the founding of NEST.

"They could be." Sam sighed, not helping the worry factor.

"Should I start unpacking everything again?" she asked, unplugging the rarely used toaster and setting it into the bottom of the box in spite of her words. The point of this move was to be closer to her friends and patch things up with the Autobots that she butchered up in the past. A lot of stuff went down since she and Sam broke up and even though he was still with his supermodel-esque girlfriend, she was positive she could make the move without it being overly awkward. So far they were talking normally again, right? Well, Sam could still not want her around and now was his chance to help change her mind. She bit her lip during the pause, hoping he wouldn't try to change her mind when she already boxed up half of her possessions already.

"No, you already signed the lease in Arlington. Just finish packing and get going; the guys will be here waiting to see you when you finally get here. And you're in for a surprise when you see them."

Sighing in relief, she smiled to herself again. "What, did they get a new paint job done?" she asked sarcastically, opening one of the cabinets to start pulling down dishes.

The smile was obvious in Sam's tone. "You'll just have to find out."

* * *

><p>"I already explained it to you that it can't be done!" the insect snapped in his primitive language.<p>

Stryker growled at the human, slamming his fist upon the ground and shoving his cannon into the man's face, focusing his optics on the creature's panicked face while it squirmed under the weapon, whimpering incoherent words that Stryker wanted to cease immediately. A smaller hand clacked upon the barrel of the cannon and he turned to the source, regrettably drawing away the weapon and backing off as Pretendor approached the simpering human, crouching before him and bracing their clawed metal fingers upon their legs. "It can be done. I have seen it happen." It said, mocking the Japanese language as it reached over and drew a sharp talon-like finger over the man's face. "They look and move just like you."

The Pretender transformed and the scientist flinched away, shocked by the human likeness of a severe-looking blond woman crouching before him. "We are in need of your lab. You won't get in our way."

With that, the woman stood up straight and held up her arm, the flesh-colored exterior suddenly collapsing to the metal limb from before but it continued to transform into a smaller weapon and without blinking, the woman pointed the gun at the man's head and smirked down at him. Stryker looked on silently as the gun discharged, the human that had been cringing on the floor slumping lifeless at Pretendor's feet. The smaller Decepticon turned to their fellow con and maintained a smirk across their lips as the flesh-colored panels rippled and slid over one another to reshape into the likeness of the now deceased scientist. Turning back to the body, and picking it up by the arm, he drug the corpse into the next room, speaking in their native tongue as he walked. "Bring them."

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><p>"Did you pick up on anything?" Lennox asked, approaching Sideswipe as he scanned the area where the last energon reading had been located.<p>

"No, whatever was here has already skipped town." Sideswipe said soberly, turning around to look down at the humans. "They're moving pretty fast. Three hits since the other day and this was the last spot. They might trigger another one soon."

Well that's not good. Weren't the Decepticons supposed to be uncoordinated without a leader to order them around? Megatron's head was ripped to shreds by Optimus a year ago. One had to admit that he couldn't recover from that clusterfuck. Starscream also had his head blown off and it seemed to rip into his chest as well from what he saw in Chicago after he cut Sam free from the cringing Decepticon. It was highly unlikely those two would be coming back since Optimus wouldn't be using the Matrix of Leadership on either of them anytime soon and the cube sliver had already been used on Megatron a few years ago. But there were some worries creeping into the back of his mind when he rounded up the guys and prepared to continue searching.

If the Decepticons were starting to coordinate under the radar, that meant they could come back at any time, didn't it? Lennox would have paled if he were not used to bad scenarios like this. But if the Cons came back while the Autobots were in their human forms, they would have more than one more funeral to attend. Those bodies were not built to tango with two-story tall robots. Maybe he should talk to Pullman about putting his project on hold until things went quiet again…

But the Autobots were pretty psyched by their human forms and Bumblebee was just trying his out since he had been with Sam when they were first released. Ratchet still bitched about them but Optimus seemed to be growing on his. Especially after what Dino reported about his giving Anne a ride home the other night. Big man was finally making an effort to interact with other humans and enjoy the outside world after being cooped up in his own thoughts for so long and now here comes the potential threat of incoming Decepticons.

Slinging his gun over his shoulder, Lennox shook his head and jogged after his team. "Those guys have lousy timing!"

* * *

><p>Sam watched the Wreckers walk into the warehouse, their human forms a different sight in comparison to their robotic bodies but from this angle the youth could definitely see some similarities between the true bodies and these false ones. Apparently their exploration had been cut short since they were all complaining, even the usually quiet Topspin was saying something while they walked. He glanced over at Bumblebee who was also leaning on the railing with him, his ever-silent friend that couldn't carry his voice into this body because it had shorted out in his vocal processor shortly after he was able to speak again during the All Spark fiasco. Now this silent human was standing with him but he still gathered from the boy's gestures anything he ever needed to know.<p>

Bumblebee was the youngest in appearance in comparison to the other Autobots, the same height as Leadfoot with butter blond hair and the same blue eyes all of the other human forms had, minus Optimus since his eyes were much brighter than the rest of theirs for some unknown reason. He reached over and ruffled his hair, smiling at him while the scout laughed mutely. "Bee, if those energon readings turn out to be nothing, what do you say we take the girls to a theme park or something once Mikaela gets into town?"

Bumblebee nodded his head.

"You'll love it." He pushed off of the railing, tugging at the tie Carly helped him with that morning and rotating his shoulders as he began to walk across the platform towards the com center. NEST had set up the offices and technical sections on the upper floors of the modified warehouse and the com center was where they had men monitoring energon readings and atmosphere conditions just in case they had anything trying to drop in on them by any chance. Sam walked among the desks and computer monitors, eyeing them as he passed while sticking his hands into his trouser pockets, pausing before a screen revealing the location of Lennox's team in China. Bumblebee came to stand with him but his eyes strayed to another monitor and he nudged Sam with his elbow.

"What is it, Bee?" he turned to see where he was now pointing and a surveyor stiffened in his chair. The screen revealed a shape highlighted in red and blinking while approaching the computer generated earth and a vague outline of its atmosphere. As it grew closer, the shape blank faster and Sam backtracked a few steps, grabbing the shoulder of one of the men that also noticed the object. "Excuse me, but what the hell is that?"

"I don't know but it's coming in fast." The man said, clacking the keys of his keyboard and zooming in on the object. A closer view of the image startled Sam. It looked like one of those vessels the Autobots had arrived in back when Bumblebee had called them in. He gripped the man's shoulder and he batted his hand away uncomfortably, Sam approaching Bumblebee and looking at his friend with wide eyes.

"Bee, you know what that is, don't you?" he asked. Bumblebee nodded and circled his arm about before turning and jogging out of the com center, Sam looking back at the screen and seeing that the object was entering the atmosphere. He raised his hands to his head as an alert began to sound, blaring throughout the hanger. "Shit, shit, shit!"

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><p>The plummet was disorienting as the vessel spun about in arching circles. It was pulled hard by the G forces influenced by earth's gravity that tossed it about through the wind resistance until finally the push died down but with the whistling gone it could only mean that land would be next and that was confirmed immediately. Several clatters and thuds rattled against the sides of the metallic casing as it struck tree limbs and bounced off of the trunks, breaking the mighty trees in half from the impact and ripping branches free. The scraping ceased but microseconds later the vessel slammed into the earth, bouncing off of it and skipping almost like a rock across water until it finally dragged to a halt and all went quiet.<p>

After a long, cautious pause, the vessel began to alternate itself and open up but revealed nothing inside of it. Instead, the stone-shaped object transformed and molded into a bipedal creature that crouched close to the ground even though it was surrounded by battered trees and the ground hissed with heat from the sudden friction its arrival caused against the earth. The air smelled of burnt wood and scorched dirt but it hardly phased the new arrival. The Protoform snuck closer to the remaining trees, picking up traces of distant signals that were not familiar to their processor and when they reached the edge of the trees and encountered a small structure that seemed to be a shelter for a creature of smaller size than itself, it picked up on data within the signal. Clinging to that source, they scanned through the contents and found out in microseconds the location they were in and the languages the planet possessed. There was quite a variety of them and from the images flashing before their optics; there was a vast amount of cultures occupying it as well.

Keeping in a crouch, the metallic figure crept along the shelter which it now learned to be a house. In the driveway was a rundown earth vehicle, the make and model unknown by the state of it, but there was no other means of a disguise provided and so the creature scanned over the vehicle. Once understanding the components needed for the four wheeled structure, the metal being transformed in a series of clangs and creaks as it reproduced the rusty state of the car. In seconds it rumbled to life and took off out of the driveway; finding its way with the Global Positioning System the previous signal had provided until it was out of range.

This was going to be a long search.

"Optimus, we have reports of an interference in the atmosphere over the mid-west of the United States." Ratchet said, approaching his leader with Epps walking alongside him at a quick but practiced pace. "Sam witnessed the satellite tracking of the object."

"An astronomy club at a local high school there said that it was a meteor when they saw it on their telescope, but we all know how those assumptions can turn out." Epps huffed, looking up at the two Autobots while Bumblebee jogged up to them.

He listened in curiously and peered up at Optimus, signing with his hands to the Autobot leader, a trick he learned while scanning through the internet on a previous search. It was called Sign Language and without a radio included with his human form, his hands would have to do. "Should I return to my body?"

Optimus shook his head, "No, Bumblebee, you may stay as you are. I will inspect the crash site while you and the others wait for Dino, Sideswipe, and their team to return." Optimus explained but Ratchet shook his head, drawing Optimus' gaze. He noticed Epps shaking his head as well.

"With all due respect," Epps started, glancing back behind him then back up at Optimus. "Send the Wreckers over to check things out. Some of the guys are going nuts from dealing with them after they were kicked out of the scrap yard, again. I've worked with them before so I know how to handle them. I'll go with them and see what's up. I just need to talk to Morshower about headin' out ASAP. The last thing we need are more Decepticons roaming around the neighborhood." As he said this he shook his head, jogging towards the stairs to the platform to make his phone call.

Optimus faced Ratchet, "Do you agree to this?"

"Optimus, let them handle it. We are supposed to be on 'vacation' remember?" Ratchet rolled his optics at the word but he knew that it was what Optimus was supposed to be doing. The recent energon readings and now this would definitely obstruct the calm but it was nothing they couldn't handle for the time being. Dino, Sideswipe, and Lennox all made reports of returning to American soil in the next forty eight hours, the Wreckers wouldn't mind leaving a few days. They would be fine.

Prime would disagree.

"Mikaela Banes is relocating her living quarters closer to our base of operations. Sam requested that we be present for her arrival." Ratchet included, Sam having informed them of her move to Arlington in order to be closer to her friends now that her father had assumed ownership of his garage and was drawing in enough clients to keep it running. Ratchet was pleased at the promise of having her present once more since she was the only human that seemed to grasp their anatomy, having made small but sufficient repairs on them in the past before the sudden severing of her ties with them due to failed relations with Sam. She would be far more useful than the bumbling scientists that would not break free of their initial knowledge of robotics. He paused, disliking the recollection of human robotics and knew he had another message to relay at this point. "He also requests that we meet her in our recently acquired forms."

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><p>"My mom said you're into trucks." Nick said, untucking his uniform shirt as he spoke. Kayley caught a glimpse of his skin underneath but it was too sparse of a glimpse to really register anything as he pulled the hem of his shirt down and continued walking with her. As odd as it seemed, she was disappointed she didn't get a better look. Nick wasn't a world class hottie but he definitely had a cuteness to him that made him a tolerable face to talk to once she agreed to meet him at last.<p>

"Yeah, I got my hands on an '87 Chevy three years ago and I haven't parted with it ever since. I never paid attention to the names, just the bodies and brands. Though there was this _gorgeous _Peterbuilt semi the other day." She rose her hands, clawing them slightly as she emphasized "gorgeous" while walking with her good friend's son. After a moment she dropped her hands again, peering over at the house they were starting to pass where a man was sitting in a lawn chair. The amount of crap in his garage and the long folding tables lining the driveway were sure signs of a yard sale and the two teens turned into it, browsing the items half-heartedly since nothing looked very promising. Well, to Kayley anyway.

"Why are you selling this?" Nick asked, indicating what he was talking about with a simple indication of his hand.

The man leaned back in his lawn chair slightly and sneered at the rusted car parked in the grass. Kayley turned to see what they were talking about and could immediately see why the man looked back at the car with such distaste. "The thing's a piece of junk. I found it abandoned on the side of the road just out of town and it started up when I got my hands on it. No one claimed it after a while and I could see why. Nothing I do will make the damn thing start up again."

"Wait, you got that for free and now you're selling it?" Kayley asked, bracing her hands on her hips while Nick walked around the car, observing it in a slow walk-around.

"I've gotta make a profit off of it somehow." The man held out his hands, shrugging. "It's only five hundred."

"If I got it to start, would you lower the price?" Nick asked, earning puzzled looks from both Kayley and the man in the chair. "It has no make or model listed on it from what I can see and a lot of the panels don't even belong on it so it can't be very valuable. It's more of a Frankenstein project more than anything."

"If you can get that thing to start, I'll let you have it for fifty." He laughed, "But you're not going to get it to work."

Nick went around and opened the hood; leaning in and observing the weathered motor. He wasn't big on cars from what Kayley learned from Anne but he reached down and jiggled a hose then tightened the wing nut holding down the lid of the air filter compartment. Walking around to the driver's side, he peered over the low roof of the car at the seated man. "Do you have the key?"

The man tossed the key to Kayley with a sorry swing that made her stagger to catch it and she stuck her tongue out at him before passing it over to Nick. "You know it's not going to start, right?"

"Yeah, but I have to try. A car would really help me and mom out." He said, opening the door and sliding inside. "This car isn't old enough to be in the condition it's in. Someone tried to replace parts of the body with pieces of other cars." Kayley walked around the car and noticed his point by the mismatched shapes welded to the frame. She peered back in at Nick and noticed he was frowning slightly as he muttered more to himself than her. "If I can get my hands on a car, mom won't have to walk or rely on weirdos in Ferarris to bring her home."

"Your mom rode in a freakin' Ferarri?" Kayley exclaimed, staring him down as he slammed the door shut and inserted the key. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"She didn't because she isn't sure why she even rode with him to begin with." He twisted the key but nothing happened. Not even a click. He rest his hands on the wheel, looking down at the center of it. A faded symbol that didn't resemble any car insignia he had ever seen before was etched into the wheel. "Do you know this symbol?" he asked, tapping his finger over it.

Kayley leaned in through the window, peering down at the mark. A robotic-like face made out of several lines and a rather serious mouth with blank eyes. "It's not any model I know of. But it looks familiar." She leaned in closer. "I think it was on the trailer of that semi I saw the other night."

The car suddenly roared to life, even though Nick's hand wasn't even on the ignition, startling the man in the lawn chair so much he fell out of it and Kayley bumped her head from trying to jump away from the strange vehicle. Nick held his hands up, startled but the car's engine maintained a steady pace that quieted down to a low, rhythmic rumble. Nick turned his head to look at Kayley, his face suddenly bright with the realization it now worked and Kayley ended up smiling as well, immediately shaking her head and averting her eyes to look at the hood of the now running car. His smile was a little too infectious.

The teens were suddenly aware of the man approaching them now, waving his hand at Nick, "Out of the car. Lemme see if it starts again."

Nick turned it off and climbed out dejectedly while the man heaved himself into the seat and worked with the ignition but nothing happened. He jiggled the key a few times and pumped the gas pedal while he tried to turn the ignition but it remained silent. He climbed back out and slammed the door, pushing the hood back down angrily while shoving the key into Nick's hands. "Car's yours if you can start it again."

Nodding, Nick leaned through the window and tried the ignition, the car coming alive immediately. This didn't please the man but Nick pulled out his wallet and looked at the hundred he had stashed in it as a means to give to his mother. He handed it over. "Here, you still made a profit." Kayley joined Nick and the two climbed into the car, Nick patting the wheel affectionately before looking down at the manual transmission. Boy was he lucky they had drivers education in school before his graduation…

"Well, you have a car now. Guess this meeting isn't going to be as mundane as we thought, huh?" Kayley asked, hinting at her hesitation in meeting Anne's son and his own grief in meeting a work friend of his mom's at her urging.

"No, I guess not." He returned the smile she flashed at him and pulled the car out of the grass slowly, being very gentle to it since it looked like it was already pushed enough by the poor body work someone had given it. "I just hope mom doesn't think it's unsafe."

"Oh, I wouldn't hold my breath on that."

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><p><strong>Writer's Note:<strong>

**Anne's son Nick makes his appearance now. Yes, more teenagers involved in the Transformers universe. DEAL!  
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**The Decepticons are up to something and the small one "Pretendor" is not the one from Revenge of the Fallen. This is a new one that is the same design but it is the male equivalent.  
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**Mikaela will be moving over (to make things a little tense for Sam and let's face it, I like her a hell of a lot more than Carly. =P )  
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**I will try to get the other chapters edited and up here when I can.  
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**FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED!  
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